Department of Health and Social Care

Mental Health Services: Contracts

Karin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, for what reasons NHS England decided that only NHS organisations can be the lead on contracts for specialised mental health services.

Jackie Doyle-Price: NHS England has determined that provider collaboratives for specialised mental health, learning disability and autism services will be managed by a lead provider in their local area. The lead provider will be given delegated responsibility for managing the budget and patient pathway for specialised care for their local population.They will be monitored and held to account via a contract with NHS England, which will retain ultimate accountability for the commissioning of these services. The lead provider will work in partnership with a collaborative of National Health Service and independent sector providers to deliver care locally to their population.Although provider collaboratives will be led by an NHS organisation, independent providers can participate in provider collaboratives and enter into partnership agreements to support the effective and efficient delivery of NHS-funded care.

NHS: Crimes of Violence

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the NHS Long Term Plan and NHS Planning Guidance commitments for 2019-20, what progress his Department has made against the commitment to invest up to £2 million a year in programmes to reduce violence, bullying and harassment toward NHS staff; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Hammond: An investment of £2 million a year in programmes to reduce violence, bullying and harassment toward National Health Service staff will be set out in the final People Plan to be published after the spending review later this year. Over the summer, we will develop a new offer with our people setting our explicitly the support they can expect from the NHS as a modern employer including creating a healthy, inclusive and compassionate culture, with a focus amongst other things on tackling bullying and harassment, violence and abuse.

NHS: Career Development

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the NHS Long Term Plan and NHS Planning Guidance commitments for 2019-20, what progress his Department has made against the commitment to do more to nurture the next generation of leaders, including a systematic regional and local approach for identifying, assessing, developing, deploying and supporting talent; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Hammond: Ensuring the National Health Service has the right number of leaders with the right skills, values and experience is a key aspect of the interim NHS People Plan, which was published on 3 June. Developing and nurturing leadership talent is one of the ways the NHS will ensure it has the right culture to empower all staff to work to the best of their ability.The action set out in the interim NHS People Plan builds on the NHS Leadership Academy’s work to establish regional talent boards and talent pools across the NHS in England. Additionally, a new NHS High Potential Scheme and an increase in the size of the annual intake of the Graduate Management Training Scheme to 500 will be delivered in 2019/20.

NHS: Staff

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the NHS Long Term Plan and NHS Planning Guidance commitments for 2019-20, what progress his Department has made against the commitment to fund clinical placements for an extra 5,000 places from 2019-20 for use by higher education institutions; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Hammond: The NHS Long Term Plan, published 7 January 2019, sets out a vital strategic framework to ensure that over the next 10 years the National Health Service will have the staff it needs, so that nurses have the time they need to administer the expert compassionate care they are committed providing. The Interim People Plan published June 2019, commits to providing clinical placement funding for an additional 5,000 clinical placements for pre-registration nursing and midwifery training each year.In support of this commitment, NHS Improvement and NHS England are currently delivering a rapid clinical placement expansion programme, working with trust directors of nursing to provide targeted support and resource to increase placement capacity for the September 2019 intake, and will undertake a comprehensive review of clinical placement activity to increase expansion and student intakes in future years.

Nurses: Apprentices

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the NHS Long Term Plan and NHS Planning Guidance commitments for 2019-20, what progress his Department has made against the commitment to continue to invest in the growth of nursing apprenticeships; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Hammond: The Department is fully committed to increasing the number of nursing apprenticeships. In support of this, we have developed a complete apprentice pathway from entry level Healthcare Support Worker to Nursing Associate to Nurse and onto postgraduate advanced clinical practice in nursing. This will support people from all backgrounds to enter a nursing career in the National Health Service.Health Education England (HEE) is leading a national Nursing Associate programme with a commitment for up to 7,500 Nursing Associates to enter training in 2019. This expansion builds on HEE’s Nursing Associate programme which has already seen thousands start training in 2017 and 2018.There are currently 583 Nurse Degree Apprentices on programme in the current academic year, (Department for Education data - 1 August 2018 - January 2019, published March 2019). Data is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/fe-data-library-apprenticeships

NHS: Apprentices

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the NHS Long Term Plan and NHS Planning Guidance commitments for 2019-20, what progress his Department has made against the commitment to invest over half of the £200 million apprenticeship levy back into the NHS in 2019-20; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Hammond: We are working closely with employers and Health Education England and other key delivery partners to make sure that the National Health Service is fully supported to recruit apprentices, thus utilising their levy contributions, in a range of occupations and in doing so ensure the NHS has a workforce that is reflective of the population it serves.As at March 2019, there are 40 apprenticeship standards ready for delivery in a range of health and care roles, with a further 18 in development.Individual NHS employers hold their own data on their levy spend and will know full 2019/20 spend at the end of the financial year.

Strokes: Medical Treatments

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the NHS Long Term Plan and NHS Planning Guidance commitments for 2019-20, what progress his Department has made against the commitment to work with Royal Colleges to pilot a new credentialing programme for hospital consultants to offer mechanical thrombectomy; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Hammond: The General Medical Council (GMC) is starting work with key partners on a small number of GMC-regulated credentials, with a clear focus on protecting patient safety, and supporting the professional development of doctors. Working with the GMC, the United Kingdom Medical Education Reference Group, which includes representation from the Department and Health Education England, as well as from Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales, has identified the first few ‘early adopter’ credentials in priority areas.Mechanical thrombectomy, led by the Royal College of Radiologists, has been selected as one of the early adopter credentials. Proposals for these will start to be reviewed from September 2019.

NHS: Staff

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the NHS Long Term Plan and NHS Planning Guidance commitments for 2019-20, what progress his Department has made against the commitment to publish a workforce implementation plan in 2019; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Hammond: The National Health Service published its Interim People Plan on 3 June. This ‘Workforce Implementation Plan’ sets out the actions required to meet the health requirements of the population outlined in the Long Term Plan. The Interim People plan puts NHS people at the heart of NHS policy and a key programme is to make the NHS the best place to work. It was developed by engaging widely with staff, patients, employers, professional organisations, regulatory bodies, voluntary sector, academia and other experts. A new offer for all NHS staff will be developed. A Written Ministerial Statement (HCWS1587) was laid before the House on 4 June 2019 announcing the launch of the Interim NHS People Plan with the expectation that the final NHS People Plan will be published soon after the conclusion of the Spending Review later this year.

Maternity Services: Medical Records

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the NHS Long Term Plan and NHS Planning Guidance commitments for 2019-20, what progress his Department has made against the commitment to ensure that 100,000 women are able to access their maternity record digitally in 2019-20; and if he will make a statement.

Jackie Doyle-Price: So far, 73,000 women have been offered access to digital maternity care records across 15 live pilot sites. The National Health Service is on track to meet the commitment of 100,000 women by the end of 2019-20.

Diabetes: Health Services

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the NHS Long Term Plan and NHS Planning Guidance commitments for 2019-20, what progress his Department has made against the commitment to develop and expand the Diabetes Prevention Programme to offer digital access; and if he will make a statement.

Seema Kennedy: As set out in the NHS Long Term Plan, an Implementation Framework will be published shortly which will set out the next steps the National Health Service will take to deliver the commitments and the national activity and support available to systems. The Implementation Framework will assist local health systems, who will build on the engagement already taking place across the country, in developing their strategic Long Term Plan implementation plan over the summer. NHS England and NHS Improvement will then publish a national implementation plan in the autumn.The Long Term Plan committed to fund a doubling of the NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme over the next five years, including a new digital option to widen patient choice and target inequality.

NHS: Databases

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the NHS Long Term Plan and NHS Planning Guidance commitments for 2019-20, what progress his Department has made against the commitment to begin work to roll out technology standards, as set out in The Future of Healthcare, to ensure data is interoperable and accessible; and if he will make a statement.

Jackie Doyle-Price: On 17 October 2018, NHS Digital published the National Health Service digital, data and technology standards framework setting out key expectations for the use of data, interoperability, security and design standards within the NHS at the following link:https://digital.nhs.uk/about-nhs-digital/our-work/nhs-digital-data-and-technology-standards/framework#principlesSpecifically, it sets out that all NHS digital, data and technology services should support Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources-based application programming interfaces to enable the delivery of seamless care across organisational boundaries.The Department has also created NHSX - a new unit dedicated to improving the technology experience within the NHS. NHSX has committed to ensure that future IT systems procured or developed by the NHS will adhere to a range of standards covering the content and format of information as well as ensuring any sharing of information meets the highest standards of safety and privacy.

NHS: Finance

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the NHS Long Term Plan and NHS Planning Guidance commitments for 2019-20, what progress his Department has made against the commitment to ensure that (a) each NHS organisation delivers its agreed financial position and (b) that the NHS budget overall is balanced during 2019-20; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the NHS Long Term Plan and NHS Planning Guidance commitments for 2019-20, what progress his Department has made against the commitment to reduce year-on-year the number of trusts and CCGs individually in deficit so that (a) all NHS organisations are in balance by 2023-24 and (b) the expectation is met that the number of Trusts reporting a deficit in 2019-20 will be reduced by more than half; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Hammond: The National Health Service has set out its own strategy for the next five years in the NHS Long Term Plan. NHS England and NHS Improvement have been working with local organisations and regional leaders over recent months to develop the right operational plans to deliver that strategy in 2019-20. The NHS Long Term Plan is backed by a significant funding increase from the Department of £33.9 billion in cash terms by 2023/24. As part of the Plan, the NHS committed to meeting the Government’s financial tests, including that the NHS will deliver overall financial balance in every year, and that all NHS organisations will be in balance by 2023/24. The Plan rightly sets out that putting the NHS back onto a sustainable financial path is a key priority and is essential to allowing the NHS to deliver further improvements in care. As part of 2019-20 planning, the vast majority of organisations have signed up to their control totals, with the number of providers expected to report a deficit reducing by more than half compared to 2018-19. We also expect overall NHS financial balance to be achieved, with further work taking place with the regions to mitigate risks in plans that emerge. For the period beyond 2019-20, as set out in the NHS Long Term Plan an Implementation Framework will be published shortly which will set out the next steps the National Health System will take to deliver the commitments and the national activity and support available to systems. The Implementation Framework will assist local health systems, who will build on the engagement already taking place across the country, in developing their strategic Long Term Plan implementation plan over the summer. NHS England and NHS Improvement will then publish a national implementation plan in the autumn.

NHS: Finance

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the NHS Long Term Plan and NHS Planning Guidance commitments for 2019-20, what progress his Department has made against the commitment to phase in an updated Market Forces Factor over the next five years, applying it to payment arrangements and allocations for 2019-20; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Hammond: NHS England and Improvement is responsible for updating the methodology and underlying data used to calculate the market forces factor (MFF).The National Health Service published operational planning guidance for clinical commissioning groups and providers on 10 January 2019, which detailed the financial regime for 2019-20. In the National Tariff Payment System for 2019-20, which came into effect on 1 April, the NHS set out that providers will transition to their new MFF values over a five-year period in equal steps, with the MFF moving by a fifth of the distance between the existing and updated MFF values in each year. The NHS manages this as part of the overall position. The MFF values for 2019-20 represent the first year of this transition period.

Health Services: Standards

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the NHS Long Term Plan and NHS Planning Guidance commitments for 2019-20, what progress his Department has made against the commitment to extend The Getting It Right First Time programme across to community health services and primary care; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Hammond: As set out in the NHS Long Term Plan an Implementation Framework will be published shortly which will set out the next steps the National Health Service will take to deliver the commitments and the national activity and support available to systems. The Implementation Framework will assist local health systems, who will build on the engagement already taking place across the country, in developing their strategic Long Term Plan implementation plan over the summer. NHS England and NHS Improvement will then publish a national implementation plan in the autumn.The Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) programme aims to drive improvements in medical and surgical specialties through clinical leadership and the use of data to identify and reduce unwarranted variation in practice. By tackling variations in the way services are delivered across the NHS, and by sharing best practice between trusts, GIRFT identifies changes that will help improve care and patient outcomes, as well as delivering efficiencies such as the reduction of unnecessary procedures and cost savings.The GIRFT programme has recently concluded a pilot looking at applying the GIRFT methodology in primary care. The Department, NHS England and NHS Improvement are reviewing the findings of the pilot and will agree the appropriate next steps in the context of the new general practitioner contract and Primary Care Networks currently being established.

NHS: Negligence

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the NHS Long Term Plan and NHS Planning Guidance commitments for 2019-20, what progress his Department has made against the commitment to reduce patient harm and the substantial costs associated with it through a new ten-year national strategy; and if he will make a statement.

Caroline Dinenage: The NHS Long Term Plan commits to improving patient safety and reducing patient harm and the substantial costs associated with it. A new NHS Patient Safety Strategy will be published in the summer and this will set out the next steps to support the NHS to deliver this commitment.

NHS

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the NHS Long Term Plan and NHS Planning Guidance commitments for 2019-20, what progress his Department has made against the commitment to continue to implement existing commitments in the Five Year Forward View and national strategies for (a) cancer, (b) mental health, (c) learning disability, (d) general practice and (e) maternity; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Hammond: As set out in the NHS Long Term Plan an Implementation Framework will be published shortly which will set out the next steps the National Health Service will take to deliver the commitments on cancer, mental health, learning disability, general practice and maternity and the national activity and support available to systems.The Implementation Framework will assist systems, who will build on the engagement already taking place across the country, in developing their strategic Long Term Plan implementation plan over the summer. NHS England and NHS Improvement will then publish a national implementation plan in the autumn.

Health

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the NHS Long Term Plan and NHS Planning Guidance commitments for 2019-20, what progress his Department has made against the commitment to set out the principles and practice for Putting Health into Place guidelines for how local communities should plan and design a healthy built environment; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the NHS Long Term Plan and NHS Planning Guidance commitments for 2019- with reference to the NHS Long Term Plan and NHS Planning Guidance commitments for 2019-20, what progress his Department has made against the commitment to work across Government to develop a Healthy New Towns standard including a Healthy Homes Quality Mark to be awarded to places that meet the high standards and principles that promote health and wellbeing; and if he will make a statement.

Caroline Dinenage: NHS England established a three-year Healthy New Towns programme in 2016 to look at how health and wellbeing can be planned and designed into new places. The programme brings together national and local partners in housebuilding, local government, healthcare and local communities to demonstrate how to create places that offer people improved choices and chances for a healthier life. This has included working with 10 demonstrator sites across England.In September 2018, NHS England published ‘Putting Health into Place Introducing NHS England’s Healthy New Towns programme’ to update on progress. The publication included case studies from the demonstrator sites and introduced the 10 Healthy New Towns principles and how they were developed. A copy can be found at the following link:www.england.nhs.uk/publication/putting-health-into-place/Further guidelines will be published later this year.

Alzheimer's Disease: Chlamydia and Cold Sores

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with the Royal College of Nursing on the relationship between herpes, chlamydia and Alzheimers.

Seema Kennedy: No discussions have been held with the Royal College of Nursing on the relationship between herpes, chlamydia and Alzheimer’s disease.

Lung Cancer: Carbohydrates

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with the Royal College of Nursing on the relationship between carbohydrates and lung cancer.

Seema Kennedy: No such discussions have taken place.The Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) published a report on carbohydrates and health in July 2015. The SACN was asked to review the evidence on carbohydrates and colorectal, metabolic and oral health; it did not consider evidence in relation to lung cancer. The SACN has no plans to review the evidence on carbohydrates and health again in the near future.

NHS: Private Sector

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure the accuracy of financial charges made by private clinics.

Stephen Hammond: It is not the role of the Department to ensure the accuracy of charges made by private clinics for patient self-funded treatment. Where patients feel that they may have been incorrectly charged for treatment provided privately they should make a complaint to the private clinic concerned, or if a subscriber to its independent healthcare sector complaints adjudication service If a private provider provides services directly to the National Health Service it would be the responsibility of the commissioning party (clinical commissioning group or trust) to ensure that invoices for services are accurate.

Antibiotics: Children

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with Royal College of Nursing on the effectiveness of antibiotics in children.

Seema Kennedy: Ministers have discussions with the Royal College of Nursing on a range of subjects. We hold no record of meetings that have taken place specifically to discuss the effectiveness of antibiotics in children.

Paralysis: Medical Equipment

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has plans to make the bionic spine available on the NHS.

Seema Kennedy: The bionic spine technology is at a very early stage of development. Research has yet to establish whether the bionic spine will be effective and safe for patients. We will, of course, continue to monitor it, along with other promising new treatments, as it develops.

Medical Treatments

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with representatives of NICE on increasing the capacity for undertaking highly specialised technology evaluations.

Seema Kennedy: Departmental officials regularly meet with National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) officials to discuss issues such as capacity for the development of guidance across all its guidance programmes, including as part of the annual business planning process. NICE does not operate a fixed capacity for the development of highly specialised technologies guidance and any topic that meets the topic selection criteria will be prioritised for guidance development.

Cannabis: Medical Treatments

Dr Philippa Whitford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how and by whom medical cannabis was produced in the UK before its legalisation.

Seema Kennedy: Prior to the change of the law on 1 November 2018, only cannabis-based products that had been given a marketing authorisation (product licence) by the medicines regulators, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) or European Medicines Agency could be prescribed. Before issuing a marketing authorisation the MHRA accesses all the available evidence on efficacy and safety arising out of pre-clinical research and clinical trials and evidence and information supplied by the manufacturer. The regulators also inspect the factory where the medicine is to be made, to make sure that supplies will be of a uniformly and consistently high standard. The following cannabis-based products and related products received a marketing authorisation in the United Kingdom/European Union before 1 November 2018: - Sativex - (produced by GW Pharmaceuticals) containing tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol - holds a licence for spasticity in multiple sclerosis; and- Nabilone - (multiple manufacturers) which contains a synthetic, non-natural cannabinoid which mimics THC, holds a marketing authorisation for nausea and vomiting caused by chemotherapy. In addition, Epidiolex (also produced by GW Pharmaceuticals from cannabis) for two severe forms of intractable epilepsy (Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome or Dravet Syndrome), is currently being considered for a marketing authorisation by the European Medicines Agency. The change in the law allows the prescription, by specialist doctors on the General Medical Council’s Specialist Register, of cannabis-based products that have not been through this rigorous process but that meet certain quality standards in cases where all licensed products have been considered and discounted and it is in the best interest of the patient. It also makesit easier and will incentivise further research into the potential health benefits of cannabis-based products and the development of further licensed products for more routine use in the health service.

Anxiety: Young People

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate his Department has made of the number of young people (a) attending and (b) not attending university who suffer from anxiety.

Jackie Doyle-Price: Through the Department of Education, we know that the Higher Education Statistics Agency reported that, in 2017/18, 24,815 UK resident entrants to higher education settings disclosed a diagnosed mental health condition such as anxiety. Robust data is not available to determine how much of this increase is down to increased disclosure resulting from reduced stigma, and how much is due to increased prevalence.Any disclosure of diagnosed mental health conditions by higher education students to their institution is voluntary. The actual number of university students with diagnosed mental health conditions is therefore unknown.

General Practitioners

Anne Marie Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the requirements for primary care networks to engage with the local community will be.

Seema Kennedy: NHS England and NHS Improvement, together with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, is developing a ’commercial framework’ setting out the parameters for the commercial approach for medicines in the health service in England.The commercial framework will support a single, transparent, robust and integrated pricing and market access process, and is being tested with and informed through consultation with stakeholders including the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry.In preparation for public consultation in the coming months, NHS England is actively engaging with industry trade bodies and health system partners, in the first instance, to outline progress on the development of the commercial framework. The consultation on the draft framework is anticipated to be launched in Quarter 3 2019 with consultation events to be held in Manchester and London, and implementation of the commercial framework is expected to follow.

General Practitioners: Rural Areas

Anne Marie Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what population exceptions are in place for Primary Care Networks covering large rural and remote areas.

Seema Kennedy: NHS England has allowed rurality as an exception for meeting the definition of a Primary Care Network (PCN). As set out in the Network Contract Direct Enhanced Service (under paragraph 3.2) commissioners may waiver the 30,000-minimum population “where a PCN serves a natural community which has a low population density across a large rural and remote area”.Further information is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/network-contract-des-specification-2019-20-v1.pdf

Homeopathy

David Tredinnick: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether representatives of his Department or Agencies attended the London international conference of the Homeopathic Research Institute on 14 - 17 June 2019; if his Department or agencies will make an assessment of the implications for their policies of papers presented at that conference; and if he will make a statement.

Seema Kennedy: There was no representation made by the Department at this conference. The Department does not maintain a position on any particular complementary or alternative medicine treatments including homeopathy.

MMR Vaccine

Emma Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the correlation between falling rates of vaccination for measles, mumps and rubella and the increased incidence of those conditions.

Seema Kennedy: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Suicide: Wolverhampton

Emma Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of trends in the rate of suicide among men in Wolverhampton; and what steps he is taking to improve mental health services in the West Midlands.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The latest update on suicide prevention from the health scrutiny panel at City of Wolverhampton Council (June 2019), shows that 66 deaths were registered as suicides for the period of 2015-17 and 54 of these (82%) were male. In ‘Making Wolverhampton a Suicide Safer Community: Wolverhampton Suicide Prevention Strategy 2016–2020’, City of Wolverhampton Council has set the following aims to reduce suicides: - provide a multi-agency approach to suicide prevention across Wolverhampton;- raise awareness of suicide, compelling organisations and the community to take positive action;- upskill workforces through information and knowledge enabling them to better understand and respond to poor mental wellbeing and suicide ideation;- influence services and policies so that suicide prevention is robustly considered and embedded in routine business; and- provide a coordinated suicide support offer which can be accessed by services and communities.

Hospices: Children

Emma Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the number of children's hospices in England; and what assessment he has made of the adequacy of support for hospices provided by his Department.

Emma Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many children's hospices have closed in England in each year since 2010; and in which regions of England were those hospices located.

Caroline Dinenage: Information on the number of hospices which have closed in England since 2010 is not held.There are currently around 223 registered independent hospices, and a very small number of public hospices run internally by National Health Service trusts. Around a quarter of these are children’s hospices. The vast majority of hospices are primarily charity-funded but receive some statutory funding from clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) and the Government for providing local services. CCGs are responsible for determining the level of NHS-funded hospice care locally and they are responsible for ensuring that the services they commission meet the needs of their local population.As part of the NHS Long Term Plan, NHS England committed to increase its investment in children’s palliative care over the next five years by match funding CCGs who commit to increase their investment in local children’s palliative and end of life care services.Subject to CCGs increasing investment, NHS England will match this by up to £7 million a year by 2023/24. This increase is in addition to the Children’s Hospice Grant, which provides an annual contribution of £11 million. NHS England is currently establishing financial reporting systems to monitor the baseline investment of CCG in children’s palliative and end of life care services. This will enable match funding payments to be made to CCGs where the investments are increased above the investment baseline in the previous year. As baselining will be ongoing through 2019/20, and therefore match funding will not be available in this year, NHS England will be increasing the children’s hospice grant to £12 million for this period.

Mental Health: Economic Situation

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the study entitled Recession, recovery and suicide in mental health patients in England: time trend analysis, published in the British Journal of Psychiatry on 13 June 2019, what assessment he has made of the effect of economic pressures on male adults' mental health; and what steps he is taking to provide support and targeted interventions for patients experiencing financial difficulties.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Voluntary Scheme for Branded Medicines Pricing and Access

Anne Marie Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress NHS England has made on developing a commercial framework in relation to the Voluntary Pricing and Access Scheme for branded medicines.

Seema Kennedy: NHS England and NHS Improvement, together with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, is developing a ’commercial framework’ setting out the parameters for the commercial approach for medicines in the health service in England.The commercial framework will support a single, transparent, robust and integrated pricing and market access process, and is being tested with and informed through consultation with stakeholders including the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry.In preparation for public consultation in the coming months, NHS England is actively engaging with industry trade bodies and health system partners, in the first instance, to outline progress on the development of the commercial framework. The consultation on the draft framework is anticipated to be launched in Quarter 3 2019 with consultation events to be held in Manchester and London, and implementation of the commercial framework is expected to follow.

NHS: Mental Health

Luke Hall: What steps he is taking to help protect the mental health of NHS staff.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The NHS People Plan will develop a new offer for our people through which they will have voice and support including a focus on improved mental health.This will build on progress implementing mental health standards in ‘Thriving at Work – a review of mental health and employers’, which have been included in NHS Standard Contracts and embedded in the National Health Service staff health and wellbeing framework.

NHS

Brendan O'Hara: What steps he has taken to prepare the NHS for the UK leaving the EU in October 2019.

Marion Fellows: What steps he has taken to prepare the NHS for the UK leaving the EU in October 2019.

Stephen Hammond: As a responsible government, we must continue to plan for every scenario. We continue to carefully review the implications of the latest extension to Article 50 on our no deal planning. We are working closely with partners across the health and care system, and stakeholders, to make detailed plans to ensure the continued supply of medicines and medical products and secure the future of our European Union health and care workforce.

Patients: Safety

Jeremy Lefroy: What steps he is taking to ensure NHS patient safety.

Caroline Dinenage: Patient safety remains a key priority for the National Health Service. NHS Improvement and NHS England are developing a new National Patient Safety Strategy that will sit alongside the NHS Long Term Plan.The strategy will be published this summer and will build on existing work to provide a coherent framework that the whole NHS can recognise and support

Cannabis: Medical Treatments

Tonia Antoniazzi: What progress the Government has made on making medical cannabis available to people who need it.

Matt Hancock: The Government acted swiftly to change the law and those patients for whom it is clinically appropriate can be prescribed medicinal cannabis. It is a clinical decision whether to prescribe, and prescriptions of medicinal cannabis are available, and being issued where it is judged clinically appropriate for the patient.

In Vitro Fertilisation

Steve McCabe: What recent discussions his Department has had with clinical commissioning groups on the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority’s guidance on fertility treatment.

Jackie Doyle-Price: Clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) have a statutory responsibility to commission healthcare services that meet the needs of their whole population, including fertility services. The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Aauthority’s guidance for commissioners is a new tool to help them implement National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) Fertility guidelines and utilise the benchmark price for In Vitro Fertilisation.I have written to all CCGs to promote the guidance and benchmark price, and encourage them to fully implement NICE Fertility Guideline recommendations.

Social Services

Kevin Hollinrake: What steps he is taking to improve social care.

Caroline Dinenage: Local authorities have a duty to ensure people receive appropriate care and support. We have given them access to up to £3.9 billion more dedicated funding for adult social care this year, and a further £410 million has been made available for adult and children’s services.We will set out our plans to reform the social care system at the earliest opportunity to ensure it is sustainable for the future.

Prime Minister

Prime Minister: Procurement

Jo Platt: To ask the Prime Minister, whether she has discussed with the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport the delay in the publication of the supply chain review.

Mrs Theresa May: The decision will be announced in due course.

Department for Work and Pensions

Retirement: Health

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to help reduce the number of people over the age of 60 that have had to retire as a result of ill-health.

Justin Tomlinson: The Department set out its strategy to see one million more disabled people in work by 2027 in the 2017 Command Paper “Improving Lives: The Future of Work, Health and Disability”. A key element of this is action to help keep people (including older workers) with health conditions in work. We are already investing in testing new interventions to support people, including our Health-Led Trials, and the Government is working to ensure employers and key stakeholders across all sectors adopt and implement the core and enhanced mental health standards set out in Thriving at Work: The Stevenson / Farmer review of mental health.To support older people falling out of labour market due to health conditions, the Government has extended the right to request flexible working for all employees with 26 weeks’ continuous service with their employer. Access to flexible working practices, such as flexi-time, compressed hours and remote working, is key to helping older workers stay in the labour market. We are also exploring further ways to reduce the number of people who leave work each year for health reasons and will consult on measures to encourage and support all employers to play their part. This consultation will also propose ways to improve access to occupational health. Background In February 2017 Government published an employer-led Strategy Fuller Working Lives: a partnership approach, which sets out the importance of Fuller Working Lives for employers and individuals. It also sets out action Government is taking to support older workers to remain in the labour market. Improving Lives: The Future of Work, Health and Disability published in November 2017 set out an ambitious and comprehensive programme of action to support disabled people and people with long term physical and mental health conditions to get into and stay in work and progress in rewarding careers. This action spans the workplace, health and welfare settings. Since the launch of the publication, progress has been made in a number of areas including:Health Led Trials, the worlds largest trial of Individual Placement and Support, testing whether the internationally proven model to support people with severe mental health conditions to find sustained work can be as effective to those with different conditions.More than doubled the number of Employment Advisors in IAPT services, ensuring that more people with mental health problems receive employment support to them get into or remain in work.Undertaken a substantial package of activity within the health system itself, both to support healthcare professionals to have effective, appropriate, work conversations with their patients, and are exploring ways to reform the fit note.

Universal Credit: Scotland

Hugh Gaffney: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she has made an assessment of the effect of universal credit on the level of rent arrears owed to Scottish local authorities; and if she will make a statement.

Will Quince: The Department has not made an assessment of this nature. Caution should be exercised when considering any assessment of arrears derived from local authority level data which seeks to compare the legacy and Universal Credit welfare systems. This is because they do not compare groups with the same characteristics; typically, the legacy benefit group have been on benefits for some time, where the arrears may be under long-term management. The Universal Credit group, on the other hand, are often new to benefits, and are likely to have experienced a change in their circumstances – for example, a debt-creating event like losing a job or separation. Any arrears for this group will not have been under management and had time to clear. The initial analytical work we have carried out with a housing provider suggests that many tenants are arriving on Universal Credit with pre-existing rent arrears, that their arrears tend to increase prior to making a claim for Universal Credit, and that Universal Credit actually appears to be helping to clear arrears over time. We are currently extending this analysis to include a number of other housing providers. It will be published when completed. Furthermore, according to latest figures in November 2018 about 8 per cent of social rented households were on Universal Credit; therefore, it is difficult to see how a national trend can be attributed to Universal Credit. We have, however, responded to concerns in this area by putting a number of safeguards in place, such as 100% advances repayable over 12 months, increasing to 16 months in October 2021; a two-week Transition to Universal Credit Housing Payment; a new Help to Claim service to assist people to make their claim more easily; and Managed Payment to Landlord Arrangements, which allow for payments direct to the landlord if the tenant is likely to have difficulty in managing their rent payments, is unlikely to pay their rent or is in rent arrears equivalent to two months. Furthermore, in Scotland, the Department delivers Universal Credit Scottish choices on behalf of the Scottish Government, providing the option of Universal Credit being paid twice a month rather than monthly, and having Universal Credit housing element being paid directly to landlords.

Disability: Children

Michael Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the recent Scope report Now is the Time 2018, whether the Government has made an assessment of the potential merits of a cross-departmental approach to support the families of disabled children.

Justin Tomlinson: The Government’s vision for disabled children and young people is the same as for everyone else – to enable them to fulfil their potential, achieve well in education, and to live happy and fulfilled lives. To support this aim, the Disability and Society Inter-Ministerial Group (IMG) was set up last year to drive forward action across Government to tackle the barriers disabled people face to realising their full participation in society. Whilst disability policy is the responsibility of all Departments, by working together we can improve disabled people’s participation, for which we are jointly responsible.We are also committed to working with a wide and diverse range of people and organisations to shape and improve government's approach. We announced our new Regional Stakeholder Network in December 2018, which will bring the views of disabled people, local disability organisations, disabled people led organisations, and organisations that represent disabled people closer to government.The UK Government has some of the strongest equalities legislation in the world and we will continue to ensure that these rights are protected, just as we will continue to develop policies to tackle the barriers faced by disabled people.

Disability: Children

Michael Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the role of the Minister for Disabled People is in co-ordinating children and families policy across Government.

Will Quince: The Minister for Family Support, Housing and Child Maintenance leads on policy for children and families within DWP – including the delivery of the Reducing Parental Conflict programme, the Child Maintenance Service, Maternity benefits and the Family Test which was developed to ensure that potential impacts on family relationships and functioning are considered in advice put to Ministers. To strengthen implementation of the Family Test, we are currently working across government with a newly created Family Test Network. To fulfil this role DWP works with a range of other departments to ensure the policy we deliver for children and families is effective, but it does not coordinate children and families’ policy across government. Part of the role of the Minister of State for Disabled People, Health and Work is to work across government to encourage development of policies to tackle the barriers disabled people face to realising their full participation in society. Whilst disability policy is the responsibility of all departments, by working together we can improve disabled people’s participation, for which we are jointly responsible.

Work Capability Assessment

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department has plans to collect and publish data on the numbers of people who die after (a) failing or (b) being found fit for work at an assessment for benefits relating to sickness or disability.

Justin Tomlinson: The Department has no plans to collate and publish this information.

Universal Credit: Overpayments

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 5 June 2019 to Question 257458, if she will publish for each of the estimated 30 applications made by claimants or their representatives to have their overpayments waived either in full or in part (a) the reason for the request, (b) whether the application was made by the claimant or the representative and (c) the relationship of the claimant to the representative.

Alok Sharma: Holding answer received on 17 June 2019



The table below details the reasons that applications for the waiving of Universal Credit overpayments were made by claimants or their representatives. The figures in this table have been rounded to the nearest 10. Where the volume of cases is less than 5, we are unable to report the exact number to avoid possible disclosure of individual details. Reason for Waiver applicationVolume of applications (includes both successful and unsuccessful)Medical Grounds20Financial Grounds0 to less than 5Medical and Financial Grounds0 to less than 5Official Error0 to less than 5Medical Grounds and Official Error0 to less than 5 DWP may waive recovery of overpayments where it can be demonstrated that recovery would cause substantial hardship and there is strong evidence available that the recovery of an overpayment would be detrimental to the health and/or welfare of the debtor or their family. Official error in itself is not cause for an overpayment to be waived. It is not possible to provide details of whether an application was made by a claimant or their representative as this information is not stored. *The data provided in this response has been sourced from internal management information and was not intended for public release. It should therefore not be compared to any other, similar figures subsequently released by the Department.

Universal Credit: Overpayments

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many universal credit overpayments her Department has made in the Vale of Clwyd in each of the last five years, and what the cause for overpayment was in each such case.

Alok Sharma: Holding answer received on 17 June 2019



The specific breakdown requested is not available. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has no business need for a breakdown of this type and therefore our systems do not have this functionality. DWP is committed to preventing overpayments from occurring. The Department ensures that appropriate safeguards are in place to protect claimants who have deductions from their benefit to repay overpayments. There are maximum rates of deduction that are set out in legislation, and if a claimant is struggling they can contact the Department’s Debt Management Team to discuss lowering their repayment rate. DWP is constantly improving its data and analytical tools to detect and prevent issues as early as possible. DWP works to ensure claimants are aware of their obligation to report any changes in their circumstances. We are constantly reviewing our approach to make sure it is as effective as possible.

Universal Credit

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will introduce a box on the universal credit application form through which claimants may give permissions for their data to be used to register their children for free school meals and other income-related educational benefits.

Alok Sharma: Holding answer received on 17 June 2019



The Department for Education (DfE) provides an Electronic Eligibility Checking Service (ECS) to all local authorities in England, which is used to confirm eligibility for free school meals. To support this, there are already data sharing agreements in place between DfE and the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and other government departments who administer benefits which qualify families for free school meals. This enables local authorities and schools to quickly verify eligibility for free school meals, including where parent(s) have been awarded Universal Credit and have earnings below the prescribed threshold for free school meal eligibility. DWP therefore has no plans to ask claimants to give permission for their Universal Credit data to be used to provide an automatic entitlement to other benefits.

Universal Credit

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many universal credit claimants have been offered a deferral period for advance repayments in the last 12 months.

Alok Sharma: Holding answer received on 17 June 2019



This information is not centrally collated and could only be supplied at a disproportionate cost to the Department. The Department recognises that exceptional circumstances may occur to claimants that were not foreseen when a Universal Credit advance was taken out. Should claimants face unexpected financial hardship as a result of such changes, they can ask the Department for a deferral of the repayment of any advance they have taken out. The deferral periods are up to 3 months for a new claim, benefit transfer or change of circumstances advance and up to 6 months for a Budgeting advance.

Universal Credit

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many universal credit claimants who have an existing advance have been offered an additional budgeting advance in the last 12 months.

Alok Sharma: Holding answer received on 17 June 2019



Universal Credit new claim and benefit transfer advances provide access to a payment for those in financial need, which can be accessed on the same day, until their first UC payment is due, ensuring no one has to be left without means of financial support. Claimants can access up to 100% of the total expected monthly award, which they can pay back over a period of up to 12 monthly instalments. In the Autumn Budget 2018, we announced that from October 2021, the repayment period for these advances will be extended to 16 monthly instalments. A budgeting advance is available for one off unexpected financial events that the claimant is unable to meet and is repayable over a period of up to 12 monthly instalments. The latest available data shows in the 12 months between March 2018 and February 2019 around 840,000 claims received a new claim or benefit transfer advance. In the same period 134,000 claims received budgeting advances, where for the previous assessment period prior to receiving a budgeting advance there was a repayment of a previous advance for that claim. Notes: Figures are rounded to the nearest 1,000.Figures relate only to Universal Credit full service.Figures do not relate to those who may have been repaying an advance from a previous claim.

Universal Credit

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 10 June to question 260538, what assistance is available for universal credit claimants who (a) are unable to repay their advance, (b) have already had their repayments deferred for three months, (c) are not eligible for benefit transfer or change of circumstance advances and (d) are still repaying a previous budgeting advance.

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 10 June to Question 260540, what the consequences are for universal credit claimants who are unable to repay their advance within the agreed timescale.

Alok Sharma: Holding answer received on 17 June 2019



A key part of the process for agreeing an advance payment on Universal Credit is ensuring that the claimant can afford to repay it. We will not make advances which encourage recipients to become over-indebted. The Department encourages all Universal Credit claimants to actively consider how best to manage their personal budget, with additional advice and support available from work coaches and case managers. When an advance payment is appropriate, claimants decide what percentage of their expected monthly award to apply for and over what period to repay it, up to a maximum of 12 monthly instalments. The Department does not levy penalties on claimants who do not repay their advance within either a calendar 12 month from taking out the advance, nor where they do not repay the advance in 12 monthly instalments. Outstanding repayments are actively monitored and managed, ensuring we support claimants experiencing financial challenges whilst maintaining responsibility to the taxpayer for recovery.

Universal Credit

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 6 June to Question 258971, what information her Department holds on the proportion of universal credit claimants who have successfully applied for a reduction in their deduction in the most recent period for which figures are available.

Alok Sharma: Holding answer received on 17 June 2019



As at 13th June 2019 the proportion of Universal Credit claimants with a benefit overpayment, who have successfully applied for a reduction in the rate at which they are repaying that overpayment, was 9.2%. The Department ensures that appropriate safeguards are in place to protect claimants who have deductions from their benefit to repay overpayments. If a claimant is struggling they can contact the Department’s Debt Management Team to discuss lowering their repayment rate. Any adjustment to the rate of repayment will be based on the individual circumstances of the claimant. *The data provided in this response has been sourced from internal management information and was never intended for public release. It is not comparable to any other, similar data subsequently released by the Department.

Universal Credit: Pensioners

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether pensioner couples who are no longer eligible for pension credit and housing benefit because one of the couple is below state pension age, will still be eligible to have their rent paid directly to their landlord under universal credit.

Will Quince: Mixed age couples already claiming Pension Credit and/or Housing Benefit for pensioners immediately before the implementation date on 15 May 2019 will not be affected by the policy, so long as they remain entitled to either benefit. Those making a new claim to Universal Credit, or already claiming it, will be able to have a conversation with their work coach or case manager, in the same way as other claimants, so that a managed payment to their landlord can be considered in Universal Credit for their housing costs. Couples who would have been eligible for Pension Credit or Housing Benefit for pensioners under the previous rules but had not claimed before 15 May 2019, will have up to 13 August 2019 to make a backdated claim to 14 May 2019.

Universal Credit: Overpayments

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 5 June 2019 to Question 257458, how many (a) successful and (b) unsuccessful applications there have been for a reduction in repayment rates for benefits overpayment in each year since 2013.

Alok Sharma: The information requested is not available. Our systems do not hold data on the recovery rates that were applied to debts that have either been fully repaid, or have been written off. It is therefore not possible to give a complete figure for the total number of successful, or unsuccessful applications for a reduction in an overpayment recovery rate.

Universal Credit

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many universal credit claimants (a) received and (b) did not receive an advance payment in 2018-19.

Alok Sharma: Universal Credit new claim advances provide access to a payment for those in financial need, which can be accessed on the same day, until their first payment is due. Claimants can access up to 100% of the total expected monthly award, for which they can pay back over a period of up to 12 months. From October 2021, this maximum repayment period will be extended from 12 to 16 months. The Department ensures claimants are made aware of their maximum advance entitlement and informed that their Universal Credit award will be adjusted over the relevant recovery period to take into account the advance of benefit they received. There were 1,046,000 claims made to Universal Credit during January to December 2018 which went into payment. Of these claims, 598,000 (57%) received an advance by end of February 2019 and 449,000 (43%) did not receive an advance. Notes:Figures relate to Universal Credit full serviceFigures capture all advances typesFigures are rounded to the nearest 1,000Advances paid are provided for claims which went into payment in the 2018 calendar year to ensure enough time has elapsed to be certain these claims did actually progress to payment

Universal Credit

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many universal credit claimants had (a) an advance payment repayment deduction, (b) a historic debt repayment and (c) both attached to their claim in 2018-19.

Alok Sharma: The Department recognises the importance of safeguarding the welfare of claimants who have incurred debt. Under Universal Credit there is a structured approach to deductions from benefit, which simplifies the complex arrangements that exists within legacy benefits. From October 2019 the maximum rate of deductions from a claimant’s standard allowance will be reduced from 40% to 30%. From October 2021 we are increasing the recovery period for advances from 12 to 16 months, further supporting those in financial need. If a claimant considers that they are facing financial hardship because of the amount that is being deducted from their Universal Credit award, they can ask the Department to consider reducing their deductions. Furthermore, work coaches can pause some repayments in certain circumstances to ensure they are manageable. This is called a financial hardship decision. During 2018/19 there were: (a) 1.043m claimants with deductions from UC for UC Advance repayments; (b) 0.749m claimants with deductions from UC for non-UC debts; and; (c) 0.491m claimants with deductions from UC for both UC Advance repayments and non-UC debts in 2018/19 (this volume is included in volumes for (a) and (b).

Pension Credit

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate she has made of the number of people aged over 75 in receipt of pension credit.

Guy Opperman: Latest published information shows that at end of November 2018, there were 943,954 Pension Credit claimants aged 75 and overSource: DWP Stat-Xplore This information is published and available at Stat-Xplore: https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk Guidance for users is available at: https://sw.stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/Getting-Started.html

Universal Credit

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 13 May 2019 to Question 252105, whether all universal credit claimants who work during working hours and who have been required to have an interview to verify evidence have been able to arrange a date and time for that interview outside DWP working hours.

Alok Sharma: We are aware that some claimants who are working may find it difficult to access our Jobcentre Plus Service due to their work commitments. We have recently started a pilot to test the demand for Jobcentre Plus Services on a Saturday. The pilot which is aimed at working claimants, including those who are self-employed, offers a limited range of services, usually via a pre-booked appointment. The pilot is being delivered in seven different Jobcentre Plus Offices, spread across the country and with different geographical and demographic features - for example large inner city (such as Poplar) small rural offices such as Wick and Todmorden, and urban such as Dudley, York. Additionally, we are in the early stages of testing the demand for appointments in the early evening, again to meet the needs of our employed and self-employed claimants.

Home Office

Islamic Resistance Support Organisation

Joan Ryan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the Islamic Resistance Support Organisation operates in the UK.

Mr Ben Wallace: The Home Office does not keep a central register of all the organisations that operate in the UK.

Drugs: Organised Crime

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many individuals were (a) charged with and (b) convicted of offences under the Modern Slavery Act 2015 in connection with county lines criminal activity in (i) 2016, (ii) 2017, (iii) 2018 and (iv) 2019 up to 31 May 2019.

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether any individuals have been (a) charged with and (b) convicted of conspiracy to commit offences under the Modern Slavery Act 2015 in connection with county lines criminal activity since the commencement of that Act.

Victoria Atkins: We do not hold data centrally on the numbers of individuals charged or pending prosecution for county lines related offences.The police and Crown Prosecution Services (CPS) are responsible for charging decisions with regards to county lines related criminality. The key is that prosecutions are brought, and the charges should cover the full range of criminality involved including Modern Slavery offences.

Drugs: Organised Crime

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of resources allocated to (a) police services in England and Wales and (b) the National Crime Agency to (i) all investigate active branded county lines and (ii) adopt an investigative focus on identifying and charging individuals involved in conspiracy to commit offences under the Modern Slavery Act 2015.

Victoria Atkins: We are committed to ensuring the police and the National Crime Agency have the resources they need to carry out their vital work. In 2019/20, total police funding will increase by over £1 billion including council tax and the £100 million Serious Violence Fund. We continue to work closely with law enforcement in order to better understand the evolving issue of county lines drug dealing and develop effective responses.Through the Serious Violence Strategy published in April 2018, we provided £3.6m to establish the National County Lines Co-ordination Centre, a joint initiative between the National Crime Agency and policing, to enhance the intelligence picture and support cross border efforts to tackle county lines. Since its launch in September 2018, it has carried out three separate weeks of operational intensification leading to over 1600 arrests, over 2100 individuals safeguarded and significant seizures of weapons and drugs.The Government made £8.5m of additional funding available from the police transformation fund to support the establishment of the Modern Slavery Police Transformation Unit (MSPTU) in October 2016. The programme supports a bespoke modern slavery intelligence hub, regional analysts and operational coordinators, improved training and dedicated thematic experts to support individual police forces. The Government is continuing to support the programme through an additional £3.1m of funding for the current financial year. During 2019/20 the Programme will aim to support the police services to increase the focus on prevention activity and improving investigations.

Financial Services: Fraud

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps he is taking to ensure the provision of compensation to victims of financial fraud.

Mr Ben Wallace: The Government recently welcomed publication of the Contingent Reimbursement Model industry code, which came into effect on 28 May. This marks a significant step forward in the fight against Authorised Push Payment (APP) frauds, which involve customers being tricked into sending monies to a fraudster via a Payment Service Provider (PSP).The code will ensure all customers transferring money between payment service providers that are signatories to the code will be fully reimbursed if the consumer has done everything they should to prevent the scam occurring. This code will also provide a greater level of protection for customers considered to be vulnerable to this type of fraud.

Terrorism: Unmanned Air Vehicles

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps he is taking to tackle the potential use of drones in terrorist attacks.

Mr Ben Wallace: The Home Office is leading work across government to ensure a robust ap-proach to the illegal misuse of drones.This includes developing policy over how counter-measures can be best used to respond to malicious and illegal drone use, and accelerating work with the security community and industry to test and evaluate counter-drone technologies. We are working closely with UK sectors at risk to determine how they can be best protected, reducing the likelihood and impact of malicious incidents.To further strengthen our ability to tackle drone misuse, an Unmanned Aircraft Bill is currently being prepared which will give the police enhanced powers to enforce drone-related rules. From 30 November 2019 a registration requirement will also come into force for all operators of drones weighing 250 grams or more, as will a requirement for remote pilots of drones to take a competency test.The Department for Transport has also extended the restriction zone around airports where the flying of drones is prohibited. The new zones, which came into force in March this year, cover an airport’s aerodrome traffic zone and 5km extensions from the end of runways. This builds on the government’s changes to the law last year, which made it illegal to fly a drone above 400 feet or within 1 km of an airport.

Financial Services: Fraud

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps he is taking to reduce fraud in the financial sector.

Mr Ben Wallace: Fraud poses a major threat to the UK, with over 3.6 million estimated inci-dents of fraud in 2018. The Government is committed to tackling this crime, but no single body can do this alone. This work demands a truly collaborative approach within both the public and private sector.The Joint Fraud Taskforce (JFT) was established in 2016 as a coalition of government, regulators, law enforcement and the private sector to tackle fraud collaboratively. It has delivered initiatives like the Banking Protocol, which is a rapid response scheme between high-street banks and the police to identify frauds in action. This initiative has prevented over £48m from falling into fraudsters’ hands, leading to over 400 arrests.Further action is being taken by regulators and industry to increase payments security and reduce fraud. From 14 September of this year, supplementary rules to the second Payment Services Directive - the Strong Customer Au-thentication regulatory technical standards – will apply. Payment service providers (e.g. banks) will be required to apply multi-factor authentication to higher-value and higher-risk electronic transactions, which should reduce incidents of fraud.The payments industry is undertaking further work to help prevent Authorised Push Payment (APP) scams from occurring. The Confirmation of Payee (CoP) initiative is the industry agreed way of ensuring that names of recipients are checked before payments are sent and received. Industry are developing the service so that CoP can be implemented by payment providers during 2019.

Agriculture: Seasonal Workers

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps he is taking to help skilled workers in farming industry get short-term work visas after the UK leaves the EU.

Caroline Nokes: In December 2018, the Government set out its proposals in “The UK’s future Skills-based Immigration System” White Paper. The White Paper proposals include a new route for skilled workers which will be open to anyone at RQF level 3 and above, irrespective of where they are applying from. This route will not be capped allowing all of those who meet our requirements to come to the UK and we intend to abolish the existing Resident Labour Market Test for highly skilled roles.The White Paper also includes, as a transitional measure, a temporary workers route which will be open to anyone from qualifying countries, wishing to fill positions at any skill level, for up to 12 months. We do not intend to impose a cap on the number of people wishing to use the route.The Government is undertaking an extensive programme of engagement with a wide range of stakeholders across the UK, throughout 2019, including with the private, public and voluntary sector and local government, as well as industry representatives and individual businesses before taking final policy decisions on the future system.

Visas: Offenders

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many visa applicants were refused entry to the UK due to criminal convictions in each of the last two years.

Caroline Nokes: UKVI do not publish statistics detailing reasons for refusal of visa applications. With regard to criminal convictions, there are different grounds under which visa applications may be refused, see:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/general-grounds-for-refusal-modernised-guidanceThe available information on grants and refusals of entry clearance visas, are published in the quarterly Immigration Statistics, Visas volume 1 tables vi_01_q, latest edition at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/immigration-statistics-year-ending-march-2019/list-of-tables

Trespass

Helen Whately: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when he plans to undertake a public consultation on proposals to strengthen police powers in response to trespassing.

Helen Whately: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the timeframe is for his Department to undertake a review of the potential criminalisation of unauthorised developments.

Mr Nick Hurd: On 6 February, the Home Secretary announced a set of measures to extend powers available to the police, which we believe will enable unauthorised encampments to be tackled more effectively. The Written Ministerial Statement can be found at https://hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/2019-02-06/debates/19020635000011/EnforcementAgainstUnauthorisedEncampments.The Home Secretary also made clear that the Home Office would conduct a review into how the Government can criminalise unauthorised encampments. This review is currently underway, and a public consultation will be launched on the final set of proposals this summer.

Refugees: English Language

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment his Department has made of the potential long-term (a) economic and (b) social merits of ensuring that refugees' command of English enables them to be ready to work; and if he will make a statement.

Caroline Nokes: The Government published the cross-government Integrated Communities Action Plan in February 2019. In the action plan we have committed to ensuring all refugees are empowered to integrate and rebuild their lives in the UK, focusing on improving support for English language, employment, mental health, and orientation to life in the UK.The Government recognises that learning English is essential to empowering refugees to rebuild their lives and move towards self-sufficiency and integration. We are working across government to develop a new strategy for English for speakers of other languages in 2019. The strategy will provide a shared vision for all publicly funded English language provision and this will include addressing the needs of refugees.

Hunting

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will publish the guidance issued to the Chief Constables on the policing of local hunt gatherings.

Mr Nick Hurd: The policing of hunt gatherings, and the provision of guidance on such matters, is an operational matter for the police. This is in line with their duties to keep the peace, protect communities and prevent the commission of offences, working within the provisions of the legal framework set by Parliament.

Home Office: Fees and Charges

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the timetable is for the upcoming Border, Immigration and Citizenship System review to be completed and published.

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, who will be carrying out the upcoming Border, Immigration and Citizenship System review; and what the scope of that review is.

Caroline Nokes: On 25 October 2018 the Home Secretary announced that the he would review the structures and processes of the Home Office to it delivers a Border, Immigration and Citizenship system in a way that is fair and humane.The Home Secretary said it would have independent oversight and that it should build on the outcomes of Wendy Williams’ Windrush Lessons Learned Review. We are finalising the review’s terms of reference, it’s timetable and the person identified to carry it out and we will be making an announcement to Parliament shortly.

DNA

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether his Department has contacted every person they know to have been affected by the mandating of DNA-based evidence.

Caroline Nokes: The Taskforce has contacted all known affected applicants where we have secured contact details. Anyone who thinks they have been affected should contact the Home Office details are on:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/use-of-dna-evidence-in-immigration-applications

DNA

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Independent review of the Home Office response to the mandating of DNA evidence for immigration purposes, what steps his Department has taken to find additional people affected by the mandating of DNA evidence who were not originally identified by his Department.

Caroline Nokes: The Home Office has undertaken a range of activity to identify those affected through the work of the Taskforce and further system sampling including further work in light of the recommendations by Mr Singh. The Department will continue to consider if there are any additional steps that can be taken to identify individuals effected.Anyone who thinks they have been affected should contact the Home Office: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/use-of-dna-evidence-in-immigration-applications

Deportation: Afghanistan

Mr David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people from Afghanistan who claimed asylum in the UK were returned to that country during the period when coalition forces were active there.

Caroline Nokes: The number of returns from the UK of nationals of Afghanistan to Afghanistan from 2004 to 2018 is published in table rt_04 (returns data tables, volume 4) in ‘Immigration Statistics, year ending March 2019’, available from the GOV.uk website at:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/803186/returns4-mar-2019-tables.ods Information on returns prior to 2004 is not comparable with more recent years; however data on the number of enforced removals and voluntary returns for the period 2000 to 2003 can be obtained from the National Archives under the title Control of Immigration: Statistics, United Kingdom.

Theft: Cars

Emma Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what statistics his Department holds on car thefts; and whether those statistics are broken down by (a) police force area and (b) parliamentary constituency.

Mr Nick Hurd: The Home Office holds data on the number and outcomes of the offences ‘Aggravated vehicle taking’ and ‘Theft or unauthorised taking of motor vehicle’, recorded by the police in England and Wales. The data are available by Police Force Area (PFA) and Community Safety Partnership (CSP) and can be found in the Police Recorded Crime and Outcomes open data tables, published at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/police-recorded-crime-open-data-tablesIt is not possible to distinguish within the data which crimes were specifically related to theft of cars rather than other types of vehicles.

Overseas Students: English Language

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the membership was of the group set up by his Department to support students alleged in 2014 of cheating in the Test of English for International Communication.

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many occasions the group set up by his Department to support students alleged in 2014 to have cheated in the Test of English for International Communication met in (a) 2014, (b) 2015, (c) 2016, (d) 2017 and (e) 2018; and if he will make a statement.

Caroline Nokes: The Home Office did not set up a group to support the students alleged in 2014 to have cheated in the Test of English for International Communication (TOEIC).

Overseas Students: English Language

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the information his Department sent education institutions on students accused of cheating in the Test of International Communication distinguished between students who has (a) definitely and (b) probably cheated; and if he will make a statement.

Caroline Nokes: The Home Office provided a list of students to some licensed institutions which distinguished between those students with ‘invalid’ and those with ‘questionable’ TOEIC scores. The lists provided only related to students associated with those institutions.

Asylum: Afghanistan

Mr David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many Afghanistani interpreters who worked for (a) British forces and (b) NATO forces during the Afghanistan conflict have been granted asylum in the UK.

Caroline Nokes: The Home Office are unable to report on how many Afghanistani interpreters who worked for (a) British Forces and (b) NATO forces during the Afghanistan conflict, have been granted asylum in the UK. This information is recorded on individual Home Office files, but not in a way that can be easily retrieved, and this information could only be obtained at disproportionate costs.The Home Office does publish data on those who have been granted asylum in the UK, for main applicants broken down by country of nationality, including those from Afghanistan. The latest release published 24th May 2019, can be found in tab as_01 at volume 1 of the quarterly Immigration Statistics release:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/immigration-statistics-year-ending-march-2019/list-of-tables#asylum

Forensic Science: Standards

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate his Department has made of the number of digital forensics labs operating (a) without accreditation and (b) without compliance with digital forensics standards.

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate his Department has made of the number of forensic science providers failing to comply with ISO17025; and how many such specimens examined were in laboratories in non-compliance.

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate his Department has made of the number of laboratories of all types that are not in compliance with ISO 17025 for the purposes of fingerprint comparison; and how many specimens for the purposes of fingerprint comparison have been examined within laboratories not in compliance with ISO 17025 since October 2018.

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many police forces have accredited to ISO 17020 standard for crime scene investigation purposes.

Mr Nick Hurd: The Government is committed to ensuring that appropriate quality standards are met across the system and supports the Forensic Science Regulator’s call for police forces to achieve accreditation for a range of forensic techniques. However, the commissioning of forensic tests is an operational matter for the police and the Home Office does not collect information on the number of specimen examined within laboratories of any kind not in compliance with ISO 17025.The Home Office does not hold information on the number of laboratories of all kind accredited to ISO 17020 or ISO 17025, but this information can be accessed through the website of the UK Accreditation Service: https://www.ukas.com/browse-accredited-organisations/?org_cat=2242&&parent=&&type_id=2 In her latest annual report, published on 15 March 2019, the Forensic Science Regulator set out her view of the national picture for accreditation. The report can be accessed through the following link: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/786137/FSRAnnual_Report_2018_v1.0.pdf

Hate Crime

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of the effect of (a) political discourse, (b) the print media and (c) social media on the level of hate crime in the UK in the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Victoria Atkins: The Home Office and key partners continue to build understanding of the drivers of hate crime through research and evaluation of hate crime programmes, and consultation with subject matter experts including the Independent Advisory Group and local practitioners.Alongside the Hate Crime Action Plan refresh in October 2018 the Government published a thematic review of the current evidence base – this can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/hate-crime-action-plan-2016. The review highlighted the complex nature of the drivers and harms of hate crime, including the impact of political and other events, such as the 2017 terrorist attacks, in triggering ‘spikes’ in offending.  In recognition that political discourse, the print media and social media may have a role in hate crime, the Action Plan set out a number of commitments, including work with the Society of Editors and the Independent Press Standards Organisation. More broadly the Government published the Online Harms White Paper on 8 April 2019, and delivered a communications campaign to increase public awareness of the different forms hate crime can take.

Forensic Science

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps his Department has taken to increase the capacity for complex toxicology testing.

Mr Nick Hurd: Management of forensics capacity is an operational matter for the police.The Home Office has supported policing in setting up a specialist team within the Forensic Capability Network to help stabilise and manage the market.Through the Police Transformation Fund, the Home Office has also invested £9.5m in 2018/19 and is investing £17.5m in 2019/20 in the Transforming Forensics Programme (TF). The Programme is a police-led national effort to deliver high-quality specialist forensic capabilities which are sustainable to meet future challenges and demand.

Randox Testing Services

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of the highest priority cases identified by the National Police Chiefs' Council to be retested as a result of forensic manipulation at Randox have now been re-tested; and what proportion of those cases were found to have been manipulated.

Mr Nick Hurd: The National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) coordinates the re-testing programme and they are responsible for providing updated information.The NPCC’s latest public update can be accessed through this link: https://news.npcc.police.uk/releases/national-operation-to-retest-manipulated-forensic-samples-continues

Northern Ireland Office

Northern Ireland Office: Brexit

Sir Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what further steps her Department plans to take to prepare for the UK leaving the EU on 31 October 2019 without a withdrawal agreement.

Karen Bradley: We remain focused on ensuring our smooth and orderly withdrawal from the EU with a deal as soon as possible. As a responsible Government we have been preparing to minimise any disruption in the event of no deal for over two years. In light of the agreed extension to the EU Exit date, Departments are making sensible decisions about the timing and pace at which some of this work is progressing. We continue to prepare for all Brexit scenarios.

Treasury

Electronic Publishing: VAT

Dr Lisa Cameron: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much revenue accrued to the public purse from VAT on audiobooks in each of the last three years for which data is available.

Jesse Norman: The details that HM Revenue and Customs collects from taxpayers on their VAT returns are not specific enough to provide an estimate of VAT on audiobooks. To minimise the administrative burden on businesses, they are only required to report the total VAT on all their taxable supplies of goods and services in the relevant period. It is therefore not possible to identify the types of supplies on which the VAT was charged.

Cash Dispensing: Scotland

Hugh Gaffney: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to improve free access to cash in Scotland.

John Glen: The Government recognises that widespread free access to cash remains important to the day-to-day lives of many people and small businesses in Scotland and across the UK.The UK has one of the most extensive free-to-use ATM networks in the world; around 80% of the ATM network in Scotland is free and there are now around 700 more free ATMs in Scotland compared to 2015. From January 2018 to March 2019, there were no publicly accessible Protected ATMs in Scotland that closed which did not have alternative free access to cash via another source, such as a Post Office. In addition, the Government is engaging, and will continue to engage, with the regulators and industry on this important topic. In 2015, the Government established the Payment Systems Regulator (PSR), with a statutory objective to ensure that the UK’s payment systems work in the interests of their users. As a result, the PSR is closely monitoring developments within ATM provision, and has used its powers to ensure LINK meets its commitment on maintaining the broad geographical spread of free-to-use ATMs. To support this, LINK has introduced premiums through its Financial Inclusion programme to boost interchange fees, helping protect ATMs in remote, rural and deprived locations.

Children: Social Services

Sir Mark Hendrick: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department has plans to ensure local authorities ringfence any future investment into children's services over the next five years.

Elizabeth Truss: Individual local authorities have flexibility to set their own budgets and spend on services according to local need, priorities and to meet their statutory duties. Decisions on future funding for local government will be made in the round at the next Spending Review.

Treasury: Empty Property

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will publish the name and location of the land and buildings owned by his Department that is (a) sitting empty and (b) in the process of being sold or disposed of; and if he will make a statement.

Robert Jenrick: HM Treasury does not own any land or building that are (a) sitting empty or (b) in process of being sold or disposed of.

Football Pools: Excise Duties

Philip Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make it his policy to reduce the duty on the football pools to ten per cent.

Robert Jenrick: The government has no current plans to reduce Pool Betting Duty. HM Treasury however keeps all taxes, including Pool Betting Duty, under active review.

Treasury: Contracts

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what contracts his Department has awarded in each of the last five years that were positively assessed on criteria for (a) UK content, (b) socio-economic weighting and (c) most economically advantageous tender.

Robert Jenrick: Contracts are awarded to suppliers submitting the most economically advantageous tender demonstrating the delivery of value for money. Crown Commercial Service, who act as HM Treasury’s commercial arm, have a policy of always considering social value, and building it into its commercial agreements wherever it is appropriate. The Government wants UK companies to be successful in public procurement but it is unlawful to negatively assess a bid from a foreign supplier, or a supplier with a foreign supply chain.

Climate Change

Dr Alan Whitehead: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 11 June 2019 to Question 261071, whether the Chancellor wrote to the Prime Minister on the cost of a net zero climate change policy.

Robert Jenrick: The Chancellor is in regular contact with the Prime Minister on a range of issues. The UK is committed to tackling climate change and we are a world leader in clean growth. That is why last week the Government began to legislate for a net zero emissions target by 2050. The UK is the first major economy to put such a target in legislation. At the same time, the Chancellor has accepted the recommendation of the Committee on Climate Change to conduct a Review into the costs of decarbonisation. This will be the world’s first comprehensive review by a finance ministry into the costs of transitioning to a net zero economy. The Review will consider how to achieve this transition in a way that works for households, businesses and public finances, as well as the implications for UK competitiveness.

Inheritance Tax

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, when he plans to respond to the Office of Tax Simplification's November 2018 report on inheritance tax.

Jesse Norman: The first report on Inheritance Tax published by the Office of Tax Simplification (OTS) in November 2018 made a number of recommendations to simplify the administration of the tax. The OTS has committed to publishing a second report in 2019 on simplifying the tax from a technical and design standpoint and the Government will consider their recommendations carefully. Any policy changes to Inheritance Tax will be considered by the Chancellor at fiscal events.

Treasury: Brexit

Sir Christopher Chope: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what further steps his Department plans to take to prepare for the UK leaving the EU on 31 October 2019 without withdrawal agreement.

Robert Jenrick: Leaving the EU without a deal remains the default option on 31 October. As a responsible government, we have been preparing for all EU exit eventualities, including the possibility of no deal, for over two years. In light of the extension that has now been agreed, departments are making sensible decisions about the timing and pace at which some of this work is progressing, but we will continue to prepare for all exit scenarios. When necessary we will continue to update our advice on gov.uk/euexit on how businesses and citizens should prepare. HM Treasury has allocated over £4.2 billion to prepare for our withdrawal from the EU since 2016, including over £2bn for the 19-20 financial year. This funding will help departments to manage pressures arising from exit preparations, as well as ensuring that the UK is prepared to seize the opportunities available when we leave the EU. The Treasury has also made arrangements to ensure that departments and the Devolved Administrations can fund measures to address civil contingencies in a no deal scenario.

Mineworkers' Pension Scheme

Grahame Morris: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he plans to take following the agreement by the House on Monday 10 June 2019 to the motion on the Mineworkers' Pension Scheme.

Elizabeth Truss: I have received a letter from Andrew Stephenson MP outlining the changes the Scheme Trustees have requested. I am currently considering these and will respond in due course.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Olympic Games 2012: Procurement

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the procurement contract award process for London 2012 and the Olympic Games.

Mims Davies: Public procurement for London 2012 was conducted by the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA, an arm's length body of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport until its dissolution in 2014). ODA procurement processes were subject to the assurance processes laid out in their Assurance Framework (available online via the archived "Learning Legacy" website at http://learninglegacy.independent.gov.uk) and included reviews by the National Audit Office and Commission for a Sustainable London 2012. Procurement outcomes (such as size and quality management of contractors) were assessed as part of the Meta-Evaluation of London 2012, conducted by an independent consortium lead by Grant Thornton for the government (available on the GOV.UK website at https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/224145/Report_5_Economy_Evidence_Base_FINAL.pdf) and the Olympic Games Impact Study (Post-Games Report), conducted by the University of East London for the International Olympic Committee (available on the UEL website at https://www.uel.ac.uk/research/centre-for-geoinformation-studies/researchareasprojects/ogispostgameslondon2012).

Olympic Games 2012: Procurement

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department has taken to tackle potential corruption in the awarding of procurement contracts for London 2012 and the Olympic Games.

Mims Davies: The awarding of public procurement contracts for London 2012 and the Olympic Games was undertaken by the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA), an arm's length body of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, from its start-up in 2005 until its dissolution in 2014. The ODA tackled potential corruption through: promoting anti-bribery, corruption, fraud policies and campaigns throughout the Games programme, supported by relevant personnel training and senior management appointments focused on fraud.having procurement policies and procedures that were subject to the assurance processes laid out in their Assurance Framework (available online via the archived "Learning Legacy" website at http://learninglegacy.independent.gov.uk) and included reviews by the National Audit Office and Commission for a Sustainable London 2012.maintaining rigorous and robust internal audit, peer review and commercial close-out processes that subjected the procurement, contract management and final-accounting of all public contracts to the highest levels of scrutiny.

Olympic Games: Paris and Tokyo

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps are being taken to ensure that sub-contractors used for the provision of equipment for Tokyo 2020, Paris 20204 and other major international sports contests comply with the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.

Mims Davies: The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) is a piece of US legislation that relates to the bribery of foreign public officials by US firms and other international firms that use US communications systems. The UK has an equivalent piece of legislation, the Bribery Act 2010, which has a specific section relating to the bribery of foreign public officials by UK firms. Bribery of foreign officials by US firms is a crime, just as it is in the UK. The UK’s criminal law is equally robust as that of its US counterpart.

Olympic Games 2012: Gun Sports

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, to which organisations the shooting traps used in the London 2012 Olympic Games were donated.

Mims Davies: The shooting traps from the London 2012 Games were part of the technology contract between the London Organising Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) and the Games’ official technology partners OMEGA. Government had no role in the traps’ use post-Games.

American Football

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what proportion of UK American Football teams are based outside of Greater London.

Mims Davies: According to numbers provided by the British American Football Association (BAFA), there are currently 258 clubs currently active with the BAFA, 177 in national leagues and 81 in university football. Of those clubs, 22 are within Greater London (within M25), 13 in national leagues and 9 in university football.Therefore, 236 of the 258 clubs (91.5%) active with the BAFA are based outside of Greater London.

Sports: Government Assistance

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps the Government is taking to support smaller American football teams in the UK.

Mims Davies: Over the 2017-2021 period, Sport England is investing over £1 billion to support people to get physically active in whatever way best suits them. Since 2004 Sport England has invested over £10 million into projects where American football has been a beneficiary, on its own or as part of a multi-sport project.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport: Empty Property

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if he will publish the names and locations of the land and buildings owned by his Department that are (a) sitting empty and (b) in the process of being sold or disposed of; and if he will make a statement.

Margot James: In 2017 the Office of Government Property published the Guide for the Disposal of Surplus Land, providing detailed guidance on how to plan for and execute land disposals. This guide mandates that departmental land holdings must be registered on the e-PIMs central record system. Land holdings deemed surplus are recorded on the Register of Surplus Land for at least 40 days for other government departments to express an interest. Homes England and Department for Education/LocatEd are given a higher allowance of 50 days to express an interest if the site could be developed for housing or a free school. After the 50-day period surplus land holdings are recorded on the publicly accessible Government Property Finder on gov.uk.

Entertainers: Taxation

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect of (a) new draft HMRC tax guidance for actors and other performers, (b) legal cases HMRC is considering under IR35 in the entertainment industry and (c) extending IR35 off-payroll rules to the private sector from April 2020 on the (i) sustainability of the entertainment sector in the event that that sector has to operate Class 1 employee National Insurance Contributions (NICs) and pay employer NICs on multiple and short-term engagements and (ii) self-employed status of performers and other creative workers in that sector.

Margot James: DCMS has made no assessment as these are matters for HMRC. HMRC has not changed its approach to actors and other performers but has been working with industry to add some practical examples to the Employment Status Manual. Employment Status is not a choice but depends on the facts of the engagement. Given that most actors and performers are self-employed and unaffected by off-payroll rules (often known as IR35), they will not be affected by off-payroll reform in 2020 and do not pay Class 1 National Insurance. There are no plans to change this.

Young Audiences Content Fund

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what metrics he plans to use to measure the impact of the Young Audiences Content Fund.

Margot James: The Young Audiences Content Fund, as part of the Contestable Fund, will undergo a full evaluation upon completion of the pilot. This evaluation will measure the Fund performance and value for money against the published criteria and stated aims of the Fund, as set out in the October 2018 policy paper ‘Contestable Fund: Final Scope’. The Government is committed to a strong, diverse and sustainable broadcasting system and looks forward to the exciting and innovative public service content being produced with Contestable Fund support.

Television: Licensing

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions he has had with representatives of the BBC on the over-75s TV licence and the report from Frontier Economics to the Corporation that found only 11 per cent of the poorest tenth households would continue to receive a free licence under the BBC’s means-test plan.

Jeremy Wright: I meet with the BBC regularly to discuss a range of issues, including the over 75 licence fee concession. The future of the age-related licence fee concession was entirely a matter for the BBC and it has decided to continue the concession only for those who are aged 75 and above and in receipt of Pension Credit from June 2020. I am disappointed with this decision and the Government expects the BBC to look at further ways to support older people.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Climate Change

Dr David Drew: To ask the  Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, which local authorities have (a) declared a climate emergency and (b) resolved to go carbon net zero emissions by 2030.

Chris Skidmore: I am pleased to confirm that on 12th June, the Government laid draft legislation to set a new net zero greenhouse gas emissions target for the UK, to be delivered by 2050. This world-leading target will bring to an end our contribution to climate change. Already we have made great progress – since 1990 we have reduced our emissions by 42% while growing our economy by 72%. Delivering a net zero target must be a joint endeavour, crossing political boundaries, and encompassing all parts of society. To date, 128 Councils in the UK (including dependencies and territories) have declared a climate emergency with several also setting a target for net zero carbon emissions by 2030.

Business: Carbon Emissions

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, which (a) businesses and (b) business organisations have declared an intention be net-zero carbon by 2030.

Chris Skidmore: We received representations from a number of organisations, including a letter from over 120 businesses, to adopt the Committee on Climate Change’s recommendations on net zero. I am pleased to confirm that on 12 June, the Government laid draft legislation to set a new net zero greenhouse gas emissions target for the UK, to be delivered by 2050. This world-leading target will bring to an end our contribution to climate change. Delivering a net zero target must be a joint endeavour, crossing political boundaries, and encompassing all parts of society. We have already seen many businesses set their own ambitious targets and intentions to be net zero. As part of Green GB and NI Week 2018, more than 60 businesses made significant pledges worth millions to cut emissions while continuing to grow the green economy. As we prepare for Green GB and NI Week 2019 (launching on 4th November), we continue to encourage and support businesses in setting such targets.

Carbon Emissions

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what representations he has received from medical organisations in support of a policy of net zero carbon emissions by 2030.

Chris Skidmore: We have received calls from a number of organisations, including in the medical sector, to adopt the Committee on Climate Change’s recommendation of a new emissions target for the UK of net zero greenhouse gases by 2050. I am pleased to confirm that on 12 June, the Government laid draft legislation to set a new net zero greenhouse gas emissions target for the UK, to be delivered by 2050. This world-leading target will bring to an end our contribution to climate change.

Whirlpool Corporation: Tumble Dryers

James Frith: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will take steps to reopen the Office for Product Safety and Standards review of Whirlpool tumble dryers following continued consumer concerns.

Kelly Tolhurst: The Office for Product Safety and Standards published a report of its review in April 2019 and issued a decision letter requiring Whirlpool to take action in a number of areas. OPSS has been assessing the response by Whirlpool closely and the investigation remains ongoing. On 4th June the Office for Product Safety and Standards notified Whirlpool of its intention to serve a recall notice in respect of the remaining unmodified tumble dryers still in use. This is the appropriate next regulatory step. We are following up on all information referred to us about consumers who have experienced a serious issue with affected machines.

Cars: Sales

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on bringing forward the 2040 deadline to end the sale of new conventional petrol and diesel cars.

Andrew Stephenson: Holding answer received on 17 June 2019



BEIS Ministers and officials regularly engage with their counterparts in other departments on clean growth matters including ultra low and zero emission vehicle policy. We set out in our Road to Zero strategy published last year our mission to put the UK at the forefront of the design and manufacturing of zero emission vehicles, and for all new cars and vans to be effectively zero emission by 2040. Following the Prime Minister’s announcement on legislating for net zero, we will build on the strong frameworks of the Clean Growth Strategy and Industrial Strategy to deliver on that target in all sectors of the economy, including transport. The Government is committed to supporting the transition to zero emission vehicles, which can cut carbon, reduce air pollution, and help us grow the economy as part of our Industrial Strategy.

Innovation

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will provide a list of all publicly-owned testing centres for innovation.

Chris Skidmore: Holding answer received on 17 June 2019



We want the UK to be the world’s most innovative economy and through the Industrial Strategy we have an ambition to raise total R&D investment to 2.4% of GDP by 2027, and 3% in the longer term.There is no single definition or list of government supported testing centres for innovation. However, the government supports innovation through a number of mechanisms including:Public Sector Research Establishments are research and development institutes. An example is the National Physical Laboratory, developing and maintaining national measurement standards.The Catapult Network which helps to bridge the gap between business, academia, research and Government.Advanced Propulsion Centre facilitates funding to UK-based R&D projects developing low-carbon emission powertrain technologies.The Aerospace Technology Institute identifies global opportunities for UK organisations in research and technology.The Knowledge Transfer Network provides innovation networking for businesses.

Minimum Wage

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many times Ministers of his Department have met the Director of Labour Market Enforcement to discuss the National Minimum Wage Naming Scheme since 6 July 2018.

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 10 June 2019 to Question 260713 on Minimum Wage, what further evidence he plans to collate as part of his review of the National Minimum Wage Naming Scheme; and what public consultation he plans to undertake during that review.

Kelly Tolhurst: Ministers from the Department for Business Energy and Industrial Strategy take regular advice from the Director of Labour Market Enforcement (DLME), and most recently met with him in October to discuss the Government response to his 2018/19 Labour Market Enforcement Strategy. The review of the NMW Naming Scheme will draw upon evidence from a wide range of internal and external sources. Officials have discussed the evidence with the DLME and the Government has also sought to learn from other naming schemes and regulatory approaches. In April 2019 the Government received the report “Non-Compliance and Enforcement of the NMW” from the independent and expert Low Pay Commission. This report summarised consultation responses they had received relating to the operation of the NMW Naming Scheme. We are in the process of concluding the review and will publish any resulting effects on the operation of the Naming Scheme through the NMW Enforcement policy documents.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Empty Property

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will publish the names and locations of the land and buildings owned by his Department are (a) sitting empty and (b) in the process of being sold or disposed of; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Stephenson: In response to your request to publish the name and location of the land and buildings owned by BEIS that are (a) sitting empty and (b) in the process of being sold or disposed of:(a) there is no land and there are no buildings sitting empty; and(b) the former site of the BBSRC Roslin Institute in Roslin, Midlothian, is sold and under a conditional contract with a housing developer. Two dwellings off-site are currently subject to a lease with the University of Edinburgh until July 2019. One of these houses is under offer and the other will be sold later this year.

Parental Leave

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he plans to bring forward legislative proposals on the provision of parental leave for parents of sick children.

Kelly Tolhurst: Holding answer received on 17 June 2019



Following the internal review of provisions for parents or premature, sick and multiple babies that was conducted by the Department, we will consult on options for providing further support to the parents of premature, sick and multiple babies before the end of the Summer. The consultation will be informed by the findings of this review. I am very grateful to Bliss, The Smallest Things and TAMBA for the support that they have provided to BEIS officials on this matter.

Shipping: Minimum Wage

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will take steps to ensure that HMRC National Minimum Wage Enforcement increase the amount of targeted enforcement work for seafarers working in the shipping industry.

Kelly Tolhurst: Enforcement of the National Minimum Wage is a priority for the Government. Since 2015, we have doubled the budget to enforce the NMW and in 2018/19 HM Revenue & Customs identified a record £24.4 million in arrears for over 220,000 workers. HMRC takes a risk-based approach to enforcement, which means they can flex their resources to tackle an emerging threat or issue, including for seafarers working in the shipping industry. Indeed, HMRC have recently closed a seafarer case, where arrears of £31,042 were identified for 9 workers, with penalties of over £56,000. The Government has begun working on the next steps necessary to extend the NMW to all seafarers on all vessels on domestic voyages in UK territorial waters, and will look to introduce legislation in the autumn.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Statistics

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, on how many occasions his Department has received representations from the UK Statistics Authority on his Department's presentation and use of statistics in each year since 2010.

Kelly Tolhurst: Details on the UK Statistics Authority’s interventions are published in the correspondence[1], publications[2], and issues log[3] sections of their website since 2010. The Authority’s Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR) also carries out regular assessments and systemic reviews, details of which can be found on the Authority’s website[4]. In September 2018, the Authority published the first annual summary of its interventions for the financial year 2017/18[5]. The report for 2018/19 will be published in autumn 2019. [1] https://www.statisticsauthority.gov.uk/correspondence-list/[2] https://www.statisticsauthority.gov.uk/publications-list/[3] https://www.statisticsauthority.gov.uk/reports-and-correspondence/issues-log/[4] https://www.statisticsauthority.gov.uk/osr/[5] https://www.statisticsauthority.gov.uk/publication/annual-casework-review-20172018/

Employment: Disability

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent discussions he has had with the Minister for Women and Equalities on compulsory disability awareness training for all employers and employees.

Kelly Tolhurst: BEIS Ministers and Officials talk regularly with OGD colleagues and disability and employment is part of those discussions. BEIS Ministers sit on the Inter-Ministerial Group on Disability which is chaired by the Minister of State for Disabled People, Health and Work.

Labour Market

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 12 June to Question 260712, whether his Department has begun drafting the proposals for consultation on a single labour market enforcement body; how many civil servants will be allocated to work on those proposals; and whether the consultation will open before 22 July 2019.

Kelly Tolhurst: Holding answer received on 17 June 2019



Government is committed to improving state enforcement of employment rights as part of the Good Work Plan. Work to develop proposals on the establishment of a single labour market enforcement body is underway and we will publish a consultation in due course. These proposals are being developed by a number of civil servants, including policy experts, analysts and lawyers in the Department and I will continue to ensure that this work is adequately resourced as the project progresses. Given that this work touches on a wide range of policy areas, we have also received input and support from civil servants across Whitehall and from the existing enforcement bodies.

Productivity

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps the Government is taking to boost productivity.

Andrew Stephenson: The Industrial Strategy is our long-term plan to boost productivity by backing businesses to create high-quality, well paid jobs throughout the United Kingdom, with investment in skills, industries and infrastructure. ​​The Industrial Strategy is how we are creating an economy that works for everyone: highly innovative, highly skilled and high quality, supported by low taxation and smart regulation. ​ Through a cross-government programme, Industrial Strategy focuses on: Strengthening the Foundations of productivity – by encouraging innovation, developing high quality jobs, supporting UK businesses and fostering growth in all parts of the UK.Building long-term strategic partnerships with businesses through Sector Deals between government and industry.Taking on Grand Challenges in Artificial Intelligence and Data Economy, Clean Growth, Ageing Society and Future of Mobility - society-changing opportunities and industries of the future where the UK can build on its strengths and lead the world.

Justice for Subpostmasters Alliance: Correspondence

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when the Minister of Postal Affairs plans to respond to the letter of 30 April 2019 from the Justice For Subpostmasters Alliance.

Kelly Tolhurst: I replied to the letter referred to on Tuesday 18 June.

Parental Leave

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to encourage more new parents to take up shared parental leave.

Kelly Tolhurst: Between February and April 2018, we ran a £1.5m paid for communications campaign to promote Shared Parental Leave and Pay to eligible parents. This was supported by the publication of revised tools and guidance which make it easier for parents to understand and access the scheme. We ran a further campaign between February and April 2019 to maintain the high levels of awareness that we achieved in 2018 and are planning further communications activity for 2019/20.

Energy: North East

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 6 June 2019 to PQ 259210 on Energy: North East, which organisations registered in the North East have been allocated the funding referred to in the Answer.

Chris Skidmore: The following organisations registered in the North East are involved in current active projects within the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund challenge Prospering from the Energy Revolution:Newcastle UniversityOffshore Renewable Energy Catapult Development Service LimitedEngie Services Holding UK Limited.

National Federation of SubPostmasters

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer 5 June 2019 of Question 257667 on National Federation of SubPostmasters, if he will clarify what is meant by operational matter.

Kelly Tolhurst: The Government recognises the critical role that post offices play in communities and for small businesses across the UK. This is why the Government committed to safeguard the post office network and protect existing rural services. The overall number of post offices across the UK remains at its most stable in decades with over 11,500 branches thanks to significant Government investment of over £2 billion since 2010. As stated previously, while the Government sets the strategic direction for the Post Office, it allows the company the commercial freedom to deliver this strategy as an independent business. The number of postmasters accessing NFSP services is a matter for Post Office Limited, as they are responsible for the day-to-day management of the company.

National Federation of SubPostmasters

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 5 June 2019 to Question 257667 on National Federation of SubPostmasters, when he expects to receive the response from the Group interim Chief Executive of Post Office Ltd.

Kelly Tolhurst: The Hon Member should expect to receive a reply week commencing the 17 June from Alisdair Cameron, the Group Interim Chief Executive, in response to his question asking how many subpostmasters use services provided by the NFSP.

Clean Growth Ministerial Group

Matthew Pennycook: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to his oral answer of 12 June 2019, Official Report, columns 682-683, on what dates the Clean Growth Inter-Ministerial Group has met since 16 April 2018; and what the membership is of that group.

Chris Skidmore: I co-chaired a meeting of the Environment and Clean Growth Inter-Ministerial Group on Wednesday 22nd May, along with my hon. friend the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for the Environment (Dr Thérèse Coffey MP). The group brings together ministers and officials from across government to discuss matters related to clean growth, decarbonisation and wider environmental policy.

Parental Leave: Childbirth

David Linden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the oral contribution of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, of 11 June 2019, Official Report, column 533, whether he plans to publish the findings of his Department’s internal review of provision for parents of premature, sick and multiple babies.

Kelly Tolhurst: As I explained to the House on 11 June 2019, we will consult on options for providing further support to the parents of premature, sick and multiple babies before the end of the Summer. The consultation will be informed by the findings of the internal review conducted by the Department.

Parental Leave: Childbirth

David Linden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the oral contribution of the Prime Minister of 28 November 2018, Official Report, column 246, and pursuant to the oral contribution of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, of 11 June 2019, Official Report, column 533, whether the key findings of his Department’s internal review of provision for parents of premature, sick and multiple babies have been shared with interested parties.

Kelly Tolhurst: The Department will consult on options for providing further support to the parents of premature, sick and multiple babies before the end of the Summer. The consultation will be informed by the findings of this review, including information provided by Bliss, The Smallest Things, and TAMBA. I am very grateful to these organisations for their support in this matter. We will continue to work with interested parties as we consider the options for providing further support to these parents.

Parental Leave: Childbirth

David Linden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the oral contribution of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, of 11 June 2019, Official Report, column 533, what the timeframe is for the start of the consultation on the options to provide further support to the parents of premature, sick and multiple babies.

Kelly Tolhurst: Following the internal review of provisions for parents of premature, sick and multiple babies, the Department will consult on options for providing further support for parents in these groups before the end of the Summer.

Overseas Aid: Research

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how his Department has allocated its allocation of Official Development Assistance research and innovation funding.

Chris Skidmore: As per its funding settlement with HM Treasury, BEIS has allocated its research and innovation Official Development Assistance budget to two discrete funds: the Newton Fund, and the Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF). The Newton Fund has a total budget of £735 million (2014/15 – 2020/21) and supports science and innovation collaborations with 17 partner countries. The fund aims to promote the economic development and social welfare of either the partner countries or, through working with the partner country, to address the wellbeing of communities. The GCRF is a funding stream that supports cutting edge research on global issues affecting developing countries. From 2016/17 to 2020/21, the GCRF will invest £1.5 billion in funding that harnesses the expertise of the UK’s world-leading researchers.

Scientists: Migrant Workers

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many overseas scientists from outside the EU are funded by his Department through Official Development Assistance funding.

Chris Skidmore: BEIS has two research and innovation Official Development Funds: the Newton Fund and Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF). The funds are distributed through the UK’s main public bodies for the allocation of government research funds including UK Research and Innovation and the four National Academies. BEIS does not hold a record of the number of individuals supported across all funding bodies. However, since 2014, UK Research and Innovation (and its predecessor bodies) has supported over 2000 researchers based outside of the EU through Global Challenges Research Fund and Newton Fund programmes. A Newton funded research collaboration between experts from Fundação Oswaldo Cruz Recife (Fiocruz) and the MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research played a major role in Brazil’s response to the Zika epidemic. The first in the world to focus on Zika virus epidemiology, the project informed policy and resulted in basic understanding of the virus, paving the way for more advanced research to take place.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Housing: Essex

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the amount of housing required in Essex in the next (a) five, (b) 10 and (c) 15 years.

Kit Malthouse: The Department has not made any specific estimates of the homes required. It is for the relevant planning authorities to determine this. The standard method for assessing local housing need identifies a minimum annual local housing need figure at a local authority level. The method should be used as the starting point in the process of determining how many homes should be planned for.

Buildings: Insulation

Paul Girvan: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department will take to replace all types cladding on apartment blocks.

Kit Malthouse: We have published guidance to reiterate the importance of building owners assessing their buildings and ensuring that non-Aluminium Composite Material cladding systems are safe. Advice Note 14, published in 2017 and updated in December 2018, reiterates that the clearest way to ensure safety is to remove unsafe materials.   https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/765761/Expert_Panel_advice_note_on_non-ACM.pdf

Council Tax: Debt Collection

Yvonne Fovargue: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the implications for his Department's policies of the Citizens Advice Costs of Collection report finding that council tax collection practices are adding nearly half a billion pounds a year to personal debt.

Rishi Sunak: I am aware of concerns of charities, debt advice bodies and local councils about council tax debt. That is why my Department is engaging with, and reviewing evidence compiled by these bodies with a view to making council tax debt collection fairer, more efficient and compassionate. Following these discussions we intend to publish updated guidance on good collection practices, before considering the scope for further reforms.

Council Tax: Non-payment

Yvonne Fovargue: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what plans he has to bring forward legislative proposals to amend The Council Tax (Administration and Enforcement) Regulations 1992 to remove the sanction of imprisonment for non-payment of council tax.

Rishi Sunak: The Government is currently engaging with a range of stakeholders to consider how to improve council tax collection. Following those discussions, we intend to publish updated guidance on good collection practices, before considering the scope of further reforms. The Government is clear that imprisonment should only ever be the last resort for non-payment of council tax. Before a magistrates’ court commits someone to prison for failure to pay their council tax, it must inquire as to the debtor’s means, and satisfy itself that failure to pay is due to “wilful refusal or culpable neglect”. This is to prevent persons who are genuinely unable to pay their council tax from being committed to prison.

Homelessness

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many people have been assessed as deliberately worsening their circumstances as homeless in order to obtain housing in each of the last five years.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: MHCLG collects information on households in England who are classified as intentionally homeless i.e households who have lost accommodation as a result of actions that they took or failed to take. This may include households who have given up suitable accommodation without good reason or have been evicted due to rent arrears or other breach of tenancy conditions.The number of households who have been classified as intentionally homeless in England for the last 5 years are below:2013/1485302014/1589902015/1695602016/1798602017/188700The Government is committed to reducing homelessness and rough sleeping. No one should ever have to sleep rough. That is why last summer we published the cross-government Rough Sleeping Strategy. This sets out an ambitious £100 million package to help people who sleep rough now, but also puts in place the structures that will end rough sleeping once and for all. The Government has now committed over £1.2 billion to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping over the spending review period.In its first year, the Rough Sleeping Initiative funding provided over 1,750 new bed spaces and 500 staff across the country. This year we have expanded the initiative with an investment of £46 million providing funding for an estimated 2,600 bed spaces and 750 staff. £12 million of this is for areas new to the programme, bringing the total authorities funded to 246.

Local Government: Audit

Mr Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the failure of EY to complete local authority audits within the required time limits.

Rishi Sunak: We are aware of this issue, affecting 19 local government bodies and, together with Public Sector Audit Appointments Ltd, are monitoring the situation. It is not acceptable for a professional services firm like EY to be unable to meet its contractual obligations to the statutory timetable and we expect the situation to be resolved as quickly as possible.The forthcoming review of the local audit regime will consider the implications of our audit policy, including the timeliness of audit completion.

Housing

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what the status of a local authority’s Local Plan housing allocation is if it is contrary to the numbers required in the Government’s new housing formula; and steps the Government plans to take to ensure that the two are in conformity.

Kit Malthouse: An adopted Local Plan forms part of the Development Plan for an area and is the basis for making planning decisions. Government expects local plans and spatial development strategies to be reviewed to assess whether they need updating at least once every 5 years, and should then be updated as necessary. There will be occasions where there are significant changes in circumstances which may mean it is necessary to review the relevant strategic policies earlier than the statutory minimum of 5 years.

Local Plans

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many local authorities have local plans; and what sanctions are available to his Department in relation to local authorities that do not have a local plan.

Kit Malthouse: 290 local planning authorities (88 per cent) have adopted Local Plans (as of 31 May 2019). The remaining 39 (12 per cent) are making progress, with 28 of these currently being examined by an independent Planning Inspector. Under the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 the Secretary of State has a broad range of powers available to intervene in the plan making process, including a power to take over the production of a plan.

Samual Garside House: Fires

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether his Department has asked (a) the Expert panel and (b) other independent advisors to examine the causes of the fire at Samuel Garside House in Barking.

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what investigations his Department has commissioned the Building Research Establishment to undertake into the fire at Samuel Garside House in Barking.

Kit Malthouse: I have asked the Independent Expert Panel to consider the implications of fire at Samuel Garside House. The cause of the fire is principally a matter for the relevant authorities to investigate. I have also asked the Building Research Establishment to visit the scene to supplement the work of the relevant authorities and ensure that the necessary information is gathered to support proper consideration of this incident.

Local Government Finance: Rural Areas

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what plans he has to review the rural sparsity factor in the calculation of Government support for rural areas; and if he will ensure that changes can be incorporated within the delivery of the Rural Services Delivery Grant.

Rishi Sunak: The Government’s aim is to increase local government’s retention of business rates from 50 per cent to 75 per cent. To ensure the increase in business rates retention is fiscally neutral, some existing grants (including the Rural Services Delivery Grant) will be devolved to local authorities so that these responsibilities are funded through retained business rates. We recognise that some redistribution of business rates between authorities will continue to be necessary to ensure that no council loses out if it is unable to collect enough business rates locally to meet its needs. We are therefore undertaking a review of local authorities’ relative needs and resources to determine the basis on which redistribution will take place in the new system.The review of relative needs and resources will set fresh baseline funding levels for councils in England, and we are working closely with local government representatives and others to examine all of the available evidence for the costs faced by authorities, including how geographical features such as rurality and density affect the cost of delivering services across the country, and how to account for these in a robust manner. In December 2018 we published a consultation paper that set out a proposed ‘Area Cost Adjustment’ methodology to account for these factors. This included consideration of how levels of 'accessibility' and 'remoteness' - the impact of journey times on labour and procurement costs - might account for the additional costs associated with sparsity, isolation or market size. For example, local authorities with longer journey times from service points to households may have to pay their staff (e.g. on domiciliary care visits) for more hours in order to deliver an equivalent level of service.In developing this innovative new approach, we have worked closely with both local government and other government departments, including the Department for Transport and DEFRA as champions for rural proofing. Our most recent consultation closed on 21 February and we are considering the many representations made in response, before taking further decisions on the shape of the review.

Affordable Housing: Greater London

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the effect of the changes to Permitted Development Rights that came into effect in May 2013 on the supply of affordable housing in London.

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he has plans to require new developments built through Permitted Development Rights to meet the same planning obligations as other developments so that councils are able to compel developers to either include affordable housing as part of the development or make a cash contribution to affordable housing on a different site.

Kit Malthouse: We are clear that permitted development rights for the change of use to residential are making an important contribution to housing delivery, with over 46,000 homes to rent or buy delivered under the rights in the three years to March 2018.   Where additional floor space is created through the exercise of the permitted development rights, community infrastructure levy is payable where an authority has a charging schedule in place.

Housing: Greater London

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the effect of the changes to Permitted Development Rights that came into effect in May 2013 on the size of new homes in London.

Kit Malthouse: We announced in Written Ministerial Statement HCWS1408 our intention to review permitted development rights for the conversion of buildings to residential use in respect of the quality standard of homes delivered. New homes in England, whether granted permission on an application or through a permitted development right, are required to meet Building Regulations.

UK Shared Prosperity Fund

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 10 June 2019 to Question 262260 and with reference to the Written Statement of 24 July 2018, HCWS927 on local growth, if he will publish an updated timescale for the public consultation on the design of the UK Shared Prosperity.

Jake Berry: The Government recognises the importance of reassuring local areas on the future of local growth funding and will consult widely on the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.We believe leaving the European Union with a deal is the best outcome and remain focused on ensuring a smooth and orderly withdrawal. It is right, however, that we also continue to prepare for all scenarios. Therefore, we continue to review our approach to consulting on the Fund.

Ministry of Defence

Brunei: Military Aid

Mr Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many British troops seconded to the Brunei armed forces are serving in a Bruneian uniform.

Mr Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what roles are being carried out by the British troops seconded to the Brunei armed forces.

Mark Lancaster: The UK Armed Forces do not second personnel to the Brunei Armed Forces but do maintain 34 posts in the UK's Royal Brunei Armed Forces Loan Service Team, 29 of which are currently filled. All Loan Service personnel wear Royal Brunei Armed Forces uniform. The role of the Loan Service Team includes support for training and instruction, administration, dental services and concept development.

Arms Trade: Climate Change

Tommy Sheppard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what account his Department takes of the potential effect on climate change and the environment as part of its policy on arms manufacturing and sales.

Stuart Andrew: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) is committed to reducing the environmental impact of its acquisition activities, including manufacturing by industry, and has identified climate change as a key sustainability priority. Our investment approvals policy includes a requirement to take sustainability into account in all initial business cases, and the use of an environmental management system is mandated for all acquisition projects. This helps to ensure that our activities are compliant with Government sustainable development and environmental protection policy requirements. More detailed guidance and training is also provided to project teams to strengthen environmental management.Defence industry suppliers also have a key role to play in improving their own processes and supply chain education. We expect our suppliers to abide by the Government's Supplier Code of Conduct, which requires suppliers to understand and reduce their impact on the environment. Underpinning this, the MOD has published a Defence Standard for assurance that contractors are operating suitable environmental management systems. We also continue to work through the Sustainable Procurement Working Group to share good practice and maintain a dialogue with industry partners on this important issue.More information on how the MOD manages sustainable procurement can be found on the Knowledge in Defence website at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/guidance/knowledge-in-defence-kid

Bahrain: HMS Jufair

Mr David Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what logistical and other advantages the Royal Navy is deriving from the establishment of HMS Jufair in Bahrain.

Mark Lancaster: The UK Naval Support Facility in the Kingdom of Bahrain demonstrates our strong and enduring bilateral relationship. It supports our deployed naval force in the Gulf, providing maritime security for Bahrain, the wider region, and the global economy. The capability is split into three broad categories: accommodation, welfare, and technical. It provides appropriate levels of real-life support to personnel deployed to Bahrain, whether permanently shore-based, on contingent operations, on a deployed maritime unit, or on short-term theatre visits. The facility provides engineering and logistics support to maritime units,and can host contingent forces for short periods. It has enabled the Royal Navy to permanently assign HMS MONTROSE - a Type 23 frigate - to the Gulf, and provide better support for its vessels, including the UK's new aircraft carriers.

Department for International Trade

Olympic Games 2012: Contracts

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what steps his Department has taken to promote UK businesses for the award of Olympic Games contracts.

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what powers he has to request from the Olympic Organising Committee information on the way in which specific equipment supply contracts (a) have been and (b) will be awarded.

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, whether procurement processes for the provision of equipment for Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 will be open to UK businesses.

Graham Stuart: My Department has developed strong relationships with the Organising Committees for Tokyo 2020 (TOCOG) and Paris 2024, and has consistently promoted UK strengths in the Sports Economy sector, via inward and outward missions, one-to-one meetings, events and marketing collateral. The responsibility for how specific contracts are tendered and awarded for Olympic and Paralympic Games lies solely with each local Organising Committee. HMG has encouraged both Organising Committees to utilise international best practice. Tokyo 2020 has a procurement portal listing upcoming contracts, which is fully accessible to UK companies. All tenders for the Paris 2024 Games will be published on the “Bulletin Officiel”, the official platform for public procurement in France. This platform is open to companies globally, and UK companies can freely bid for tenders. DIT are working closely with our colleagues in France to ensure relevant opportunities for these games are directed towards potential UK suppliers.

Olympic Games: Paris and Tokyo

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, whether the Government has received assurances that UK businesses will be able to tender for the provision of clay pigeon shooting traps for the Tokyo Olympics 2020 and for Paris 2024.

Graham Stuart: Tenders for the Tokyo 2020 Games and responsibility for how contracts are procured lies with the local Organising Committee. UK companies can access tenders for the Games via the Procurement Portal - tokyo2020.org/en/organising-committee/procurement/ All tenders for the Paris 2024 Games will be published on the “Bulletin Officiel”, the official platform for public procurement in France and UK companies can freely bid for tenders. The British Embassies in Tokyo and Paris can assist companies in identifying specific tenders when available on the procurement website.

Olympic Games and Paralympic Games: Paris and Tokyo

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what guarantees of financial stability are required from firms tendering to supply sports equipment for Olympic and Paralympic Games in Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024.

Graham Stuart: There has been no consistent requirement regarding the financial status of companies for Tokyo 2020 contracts. It has been on a tender-by-tender basis. Tenders can be accessed via: www.tokyo2020.org/en/organising-committee/procurement/ Procurement is still at a very early stage with regards to Paris 2024. Procurement opportunities, outside of infrastructure, will accelerate after Tokyo 2020. We will then have more of an understanding around what guarantees of financial stability are required.

Department for International Trade: Chief Scientific Advisers

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, how many meetings he held with his Department’s Chief Scientific Adviser between 1 March 2019 and 31 May 2019.

George Hollingbery: My Rt Hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Trade met the Chief Scientific Adviser three times between 1 March 2019 and 31 May 2019. The Chief Scientific Adviser contributes fully to policy development, including through frequent meetings with the Permanent Secretary, Chief Trade Negotiation Adviser and other members of DIT’s Executive Committee, as well as engaging more broadly with policy development such as through the Chief Scientific Advisers’ Network.

BeoutQ

Mr Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 8 April to Question 239902 on Saudi Arabia: Sports, Question 239903 on BeoutQ and Question 239904 on BeoutQ , what steps the Saudi Arabian Government has agreed to take as a result of those representations.

Graham Stuart: HM Government Ministers and HM Ambassador in Riyadh continue to make representations on beoutQ and the Saudi Arabian Government has confirmed they are looking into the matter.

Department for Transport

Model Aircraft: Registration

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) consultation (CAP1775), what recent discussions he has had with the CAA on the potential introduction of (a) compulsory registration by model aircraft enthusiasts with the CAA, (b) registration fees, (c) age restrictions and (d) competency requirements.

Michael Ellis: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 23 May 2019.The correct answer should have been:

Department for Transport Ministers and officials have regular discussions with the CAA, including on the Drone Operator Registration Scheme and competency testing requirements, which will apply from November 2019. These will apply to all those in the UK operating drones or model aircraft between 250 grams and 20 kilograms. These will apply to all unmanned aircraft below 250g, including drones and model aircraft. These are part of a package of measures to address the safety and security challenges that unmanned aircraft pose. They will help law enforcement agencies to tackle the misuse of such aircraft effectively, alongside new Police powers to be introduced in the forthcoming Drones Bill.

Jesse Norman: Department for Transport Ministers and officials have regular discussions with the CAA, including on the Drone Operator Registration Scheme and competency testing requirements, which will apply from November 2019. These will apply to all those in the UK operating drones or model aircraft between 250 grams and 20 kilograms. These will apply to all unmanned aircraft below 250g, including drones and model aircraft. These are part of a package of measures to address the safety and security challenges that unmanned aircraft pose. They will help law enforcement agencies to tackle the misuse of such aircraft effectively, alongside new Police powers to be introduced in the forthcoming Drones Bill.

Railways: North of England

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what proportion of train journeys in the north of England experience regular delays.

Andrew Jones: The Department monitors the performance of its franchised operators through pre-determined benchmarks and can require the operator to incur expenditure to deliver improved performance for passengers if it falls below a pre-determined level. North of England services are operated by a number of operators, including both those that operate wholly within the North and those that operate North-South. Therefore performance data is not held at this level.

Public Transport: Students

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the proportion of students that use public transport on a regular basis.

Michael Ellis: The attached tables show the proportions of students by the frequency they reported using different modes of public transport, based on responses to the National Travel Survey for England in 2017. The first table shows school children aged 5-15 and the second table shows other students aged 16 years and over. Frequency of use is for all purposes and is not limited to travel for education.



table showing proportion of students
(Excel SpreadSheet, 23.4 KB)

Taxis: Licensing

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of restricting cross border hiring by taxis and private hire vehicles; and whether representations from external stakeholders are being taken into account in that assessment.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The Task and Finish Group on Taxi and Private Hire Vehicle Licensing considered the regulation of the industry, including the issue of cross border hiring. The report of the Task and Finish Group was published on 24 September 2018.On 12 February 2019 the Government published a response to the recommendations made by the Chair of the Task and Finish Group - https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/taxi-and-private-hire-vehicle-licensing-government-response-to-independent-report.As indicated in the response, the Government will consider further, with a view to legislation, the Chair's recommendation around tackling cross-border working, including how it might work in detail.The Task and Finish Group was made up of external stakeholders and the Group sought and received representations from a range of stakeholders within the taxi and PHV sector. The Department will continue to liaise with stakeholders on any cross border proposals.

Department for Transport: Empty Property

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will publish the name and location of the land and buildings owned by his Department that are (a) sitting empty and (b) in the process of being sold or disposed of; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Ellis: The Department for Transport reviews land and property holdings on an ongoing basis. As and when appropriate any land or property holdings deemed surplus are promptly identified and disposed of in accordance with business needs. As part of the Government’s Transparency Agenda information about Department for Transport properties is published on the data.gov.uk website. Information on the properties, owned, vacant and surplus is available via the following web link:https://data.gov.uk/dataset/epimstransparency Information on properties disposed of can only be provided at disproportionate costs.

Shipping: Registration

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the effect on the public purse of the UK Ship Register’s decisions to (a) expand its criteria for shipowner eligibility and (b) introduce a system of bareboat charter-out.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: There is no effect on the public purse with the UK Ship Registry decision to expand its criteria for shipowner eligibility and with the introduction of a bareboat charter out.

Railways: North of England

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he plans to announce his Department's detailed plans for the Transpennine route upgrade.

Andrew Jones: I have already announced my priorities for the Transpennine Route Upgrade passengers within the £2.9 billion available for this Control Period. This will include some electrification and capacity and reliability enhancements. Network Rail is already funded for design works and once I have received their proposal I will be able to say more.

Railways: Tickets

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to ensure that online retailers provide passengers with up-to-date information on potential travel disruption prior to the sale of train tickets.

Andrew Jones: The Government expects retailers to provide passengers with accurate information on which to make decisions. Retailers must comply with consumer law, the Office for Rail and Road is responsible for enforcing consumer law in the rail sector.

Charter Flights: Licensing

Mr Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 8 May 2019 to Question 249823, Civil Aviation Authority, what recent estimate he has made of the scale of unlawful passenger transport operations.

Michael Ellis: The CAA, as the independent safety regulator, has not made an estimate of the scale of unlawful passenger transport operations. There are strict rules in place that require commercial air transport operations to be operated by the holder of an Air Operator Certificate (AOC) and an Operating Licence (OL). It is an offence to operate a commercial air transport flight without an AOC or OL. Since 2016, the CAA’s investigations and enforcement team has received 21 allegations of illegal public transport. The CAA investigates such allegations and will prosecute people where there is sufficient evidence, and where it is in the public interest to do so. The CAA also conducts spot check visits to airfields and public events where aeroplane and helicopter operations take place, and where it finds evidence that a flight may have operated illegally it has the power to detain an aircraft and, where appropriate, take enforcement action.

Bus Services: Disability

Sir Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when his Department plans to respond to the consultation which closed in September 2018 in relation to a requirement for all buses to have audiovisual next stop and final destination announcements as enabled by the Bus Services Act 2017.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The Government understands the importance of accessible on-board information in helping bus passengers to travel with confidence, and in Summer 2018 published a consultation on proposals to require its provision on local bus services throughout Great Britain. This follows the Government’s commitment, set out in the Inclusive Transport Strategy, to invest £2 million towards ensuring that audio visual equipment is installed on buses. We continue to analyse responses to the consultation and expect to announce our next steps regarding the making of Regulations and publication of guidance later in the year.

Shipping: Conditions of Employment

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to ensure that the wellbeing of a ship's crew is linked to ship safety and included in international regulations.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The International Labour Organisation’s Maritime Labour Convention, 2006 (MLC), which the UK ratified in 2013, provides a global framework for decent living and working conditions for seafarers. The MLC has been amended three times since then to provide measures For financial support for seafarers abandoned by shipowners;To protect seafarers against bullying and harassment; andTo ensure that employment protection remains in place throughout the period of captivity for seafarers held captive in cases of piracy or armed robbery. The UK continues to take an active role in the international Committee which keeps the MLC under review and will support practical measures to improve the wellbeing of seafarers. The Maritime and Coastguard Agency is expecting to publish new guidance for shipowners and for seafarers on wellbeing issues later this year.

Department for Transport: Brexit

Sir Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what further steps his Department plans to take to prepare for the UK leaving the EU on 31 October 2019 without a withdrawal agreement.

Chris Grayling: In light of the extension to the Article 50 period that has been agreed, my department, in conjunction with other Departments, is assessing the changes that will be required to our EU Exit plans. We will need to consider the timing and pace at which some of this work progresses, but will continue to prepare for all Brexit scenarios.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Yemen: Peace Negotiations

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to the UN-mediated talks in Amman between officials in Yemen’s Central bank, what steps he is taking to address concerns raised by international humanitarian organisations on ambiguities in the implementation of the Stockholm Agreement.

Dr Andrew Murrison: ​The UK continues to do all it can to support the UN to implement the agreements reached in Stockholm and commend the efforts of the UN Special Envoy, Martin Griffiths, in this regard. We note the initial progress achieved by the parties towards phase one of the redeployment of forces in Hodeidah and urge the parties to take the necessary next steps, in accordance with the agreed concept of operations, towards full implementation of the Hodeidah Agreement. We also call on the parties to continue broader implementation of the Stockholm Agreement, including full adherence to the ceasefire in Hodeidah Governorate, as well as the finalization of arrangements for the Prisoner Exchange Agreement and the statement of understanding on Taiz.

Egypt: Human Rights

Angela Crawley: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what diplomatic steps the Government is taking to promote human rights in Egypt.

Dr Andrew Murrison: Egypt is a Foreign and Commonwealth Office Human Rights Priority Country and the UK continues to urge the Egyptian Government to ensure full implementation of the rights and freedoms set out in Egypt's Constitution. We regularly raise concerns about human rights with the Egyptian Government both in public and in private including at Ministerial level. Our concerns are also raised through our statements at the UN Human Rights Council and our Human Rights and Democracy Report published on 6 June

Ahmed Saddouma

Angela Crawley: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to his Egyptian counterpart on the case of Ahmed Saddouma.

Dr Andrew Murrison: It is a long-standing policy of the United Kingdom to oppose the death penalty in all circumstances as a matter of principle. We have particular concerns in Egypt regarding Article 122 of the Child Law in Egypt and cases involving the death penalty and juveniles. Embassy officials have repeatedly raised Ahmed Saddouma's case with the Egyptian authorities since September 2018 – most recently on 9 May. We closely monitored his appeal and a UK official attended the hearing on 8 June. We welcome the decision to commute his death sentence.

Ivan Golunov

Stephen Kinnock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to the Russian authorities on the recent arrest and alleged physical abuse of investigative journalist Ivan Golunov.

Sir Alan Duncan: The UK welcomes the dropping of charges against Russian investigative journalist Ivan Golunov. The Foreign Secretary and I publicly voiced our deep concern following Mr Golunov's arrest. We hope his release is indicative of a movement towards greater press freedom in Russia. We will continue to call on Russia to respect freedom of speech and expression, and will continue to defend media freedom.

Cuba: Religious Freedom

Chris Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has made to his Cuban counterpart on the potential effect of that country's new constitution on freedom of religion or belief.

Chris Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the accuracy of reports of harassment of Cuban church leaders in the lead-up to the constitutional referendum in Cuba in February 2019.

Chris Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what plans his Department has to monitor freedom of religion or belief in Cuba following revisions to that country's constitution.

Sir Alan Duncan: Cuba's new constitution addresses freedom of religion or belief in Articles 15 and 57, and provides for protection against discrimination on the grounds of religious belief in Article 42. The new constitution was adopted on 10 April, following a referendum on 24 February and a public consultation exercise during which religious groups were consulted. We are concerned about reports from Christian Solidarity Worldwide that some religious groups were pressured to vote in favour of adoption of the constitution, although we believe that this pressure was common throughout Cuban society and not only confined to religious groups. The UK will continue to monitor human rights in Cuba, including freedom of religion or belief, in line with guarantees in the new constitution, and to discuss human rights regularly with the Cuban Government, bilaterally, through our continuing membership of the EU and multilateral human rights fora.

Murtaja Qureiris

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the compliance with international law of the reported plan by the Government of Saudi Arabia to execute Murtaja Qureiris at the age of 18 for alleged offences committed when he was 10 years old.

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has made to his Saudi Arabian counterpart in relation to the reported plan by that Government to execute Murtaja Qureiris at the age of 18 for alleged offences committed when he was 10 years old.

Dr Andrew Murrison: We are closely monitoring this case. The Embassy team in Riyadh have raised the issue of the execution of minors in Saudi Arabia four times in the last month. We will raise our concerns regarding Mr Qureiris’s case with the Saudi authorities. The Embassy team have applied for permission to attend any further trial sessions.It is a longstanding practice of the British Government to oppose the death penalty, in all circumstances, as a matter of principle, in every country, including Saudi Arabia. This is in line with the minimum standards set out in the EU Guidelines on the Death Penalty of 2008 and the provisions of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, Convention on the Rights of the Child, and the Arab Charter on Human Rights.

Sudan: Politics and Government

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the accuracy of recent reports of (a) violence, (b) sexual violence, (c) looting and (d) intimidation of medical professionals by military groups in Khartoum following continued pro-democracy protests in that capital.

Harriett Baldwin: The UK, alongside Troika partners Norway and the USA made clear on 4 June that we condemn the violent attacks by Sudanese security forces against peaceful protestors in Sudan last week, which left many civilians dead or injured. We also condemn the recent looting of the UN mission’s West Darfur Headquarters and call for all to respect humanitarian principles. We are deeply concerned by reports that hospitals in Khartoum are being targeted by Sudanese security forces. It is unacceptable for injured civilians to be prevented access to medical facilities. These are not the actions of responsible and credible authorities representing the people of Sudan.On 6 June, I summoned the Sudanese Ambassador to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to express our grave concerns at the use of all forms of violence, including sexual violence against civilians and medical professionals, by the Sudanese authorities. The UK has called for the human rights of all Sudanese people to be respected, the resumption of the political process leading to an agreed peaceful transfer of power to a civilian-led government, as demanded by the Sudanese people.

Sudan: Politics and Government

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what support his Department is providing to his Sudanese counterpart to (a) prevent further violence in that country and (b) ensure a swift and peaceful transition to civilian-led government.

Harriett Baldwin: The UK continues to engage with a range of opposition and members of the protest movement, as well as the Transitional Military Council (TMC). We have frequently called for the Sudanese authorities, both in public and directly with them in Khartoum, to ensure that peaceful protests are not met with violence and that those responsible for the injuries and deaths of protestors are held to account. The UK, alongside Troika partners Norway and the US, has called for all sides to engage in an inclusive dialogue that leads to a swift, orderly and peaceful transition to civilian rule. On 4 June in a joint Troika statement, we condemned the recent violent attacks by Sudanese security forces against peaceful protestors in Sudan which left many civilians dead or injured. We also expressed serious concern over TMC's announcement that it would cease negotiations and called for an agreed transfer of power to a civilian-led government.On 6 June, I summoned the Sudanese Ambassador to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to express our grave concerns at the use of violence against civilians by the Sudanese authorities. The UK has called for the human rights of all Sudanese people to be respected, and for the resumption of the political process leading to an agreed peaceful transfer of power to a civilian-led government, as demanded by the Sudanese people. We will continue to engage with all sides to support a settlement that works for all Sudanese people.The UK also continues to promote comprehensive peace negotiations through our role in the Troika. Alongside the US and Norway we engage regularly with the African Union (AU), building on long standing support to the AU's mediation efforts to encourage peace and security in Sudan.

Cameroon: Politics and Government

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to the Answer of 22 May 2019 to Question 257452 on Cameroon: Politics and Government, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits on reducing security cooperation with the Cameroon government as a result of allegations of human rights abuses in that country.

Harriett Baldwin: ​The UK is deeply concerned by reports of human rights violations and abuses in the North-West and South-West (Anglophone) regions of Cameroon. The British Government was shocked by footage released in July 2018, although subsequently dated to 2015, showing alleged Boko Haram supporters being killed in northern Cameroon. I condemned these horrific killings in a public statement and urged the Government of Cameroon to ensure those responsible face justice. Seven soldiers have subsequently been arrested. The British Government continues to raise concerns about human rights violations and abuses at the highest levels, including at the UN Security Council on 4 June at a briefing of the UN Office for Central Africa. The UK along with Austria led a cross-regional statement raising concerns at the UN Human Rights Council in March. We welcome the recent visit to Cameroon by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Government of Cameroon's reported openness to working with the UN to address the severe humanitarian situation and tackle violations and abuses of human rights. While the UK has a shared interest in cooperating with Cameroon in the fight against Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa, we continue to keep our cooperation under constant review.

British Indian Ocean Territory

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the cancellation of the Queen's birthday party in Mauritius on 4 June 2019 on the negotiation of a settlement over Chagos and the Chagossians with Mauritius.

Sir Alan Duncan: Queen's Birthday Parties are a celebration of Her Majesty The Queen's Birthday. They are an opportunity to celebrate the relationships between the UK and other countries. Coming so soon after the unjustified and incendiary remarks made about the UK by the Mauritian Prime Minister, it did not feel appropriate to hold one this year.

Turkey: Offshore Drilling

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has made to his Turkish counterpart on Turkey's decision to proceed with offshore drilling operations within Cyprus’ exclusive economic zone.

Sir Alan Duncan: We are following developments in the Eastern Mediterranean with concern. We would like to see the situation deescalated. I raised the issue of Turkey's planned drilling in waters around Cyprus with the Turkish Ambassador in London and the British Ambassador to Ankara has engaged with the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs to urge de-escalation. We have been clear with Turkey both publicly and privately that we oppose their plans to drill. We also continue to recognise the sovereign right of the Republic of Cyprus to exploit the oil and gas in its internationally agreed Exclusive Economic Zone.We believe it is critical for stability in the Mediterranean and for the integrity of the rules-based international system that disputes such as this are resolved, not through force, militarisation or coercion, but through dialogue and in accordance with international law. We will continue to work with the Republic of Cyprus and the wider region to that end. We continue to attach the utmost importance to securing a long-term settlement to the division of Cyprus and urge all parties to look for ways by which the development of the island's resources can support the search for a settlement for the benefit of all Cypriots.

Sudan: Politics and Government

Liz McInnes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the political situation in Sudan; and what diplomatic steps the Government is taking to encourage the country’s military leaders to end the violence against protesters.

Harriett Baldwin: ​As we made clear alongside Troika partners (US and Norway) on 4 June, we condemn the violent attacks by Sudanese security forces against peaceful protestors in Sudan last week, which left many civilians dead or injured. The Foreign Secretary reiterated this in his statement on 6 June, which also called for the full restoration of the internet and freedom of the media. The UK has called for the human rights of all Sudanese people to be respected and for the resumption of the political process with the protestors and the opposition, and an agreed transfer of power to a civilian-led government, as demanded by the Sudanese people, in a swift, orderly and peaceful manner. On 6 June, I summoned the Sudanese Ambassador to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to express the grave concerns of the United Kingdom at the use of violence against civilians by the Sudanese authorities.

Sudan: Crimes against Humanity

Kate Osamor: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the risk of atrocity crimes in Sudan; and if he will make a statement.

Harriett Baldwin: ​As we made clear in a statement alongside Troika partners (US and Norway) on 4 June, we condemn the recent violent attacks by Sudanese security forces against peaceful protestors in Sudan, which left many civilians dead or injured. The Foreign Secretary reiterated this in his statement on 6 June, which also called for the full restoration of the internet and freedom of the media. The UK has called for the human rights of all Sudanese people to be respected and for the resumption of the political process with the protestors and the opposition, and an agreed transfer of power to a civilian-led government, as demanded by the Sudanese people, in a swift, orderly and peaceful manner. On 6 June, I summoned the Sudanese Ambassador to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to express the grave concerns of the United Kingdom at the use of violence against civilians by the Sudanese authorities. Also, the UK, through the UN Security Council issued a statement on 13 June that called for the violence to stop and emphasised the importance of human rights, protection of civilians, accountability and justice.

Sudan: Violence

Kate Osamor: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what diplomatic and political steps the Government is taking to help tackle the violence in Sudan as part of its atrocity prevention policy.

Harriett Baldwin: The UK continues to engage with a range of opposition, members of the protest movement as well as the Transitional Military Council (TMC). The UK, alongside Troika partners Norway and the US, has called for all sides to engage in an inclusive dialogue that leads to a swift, orderly and peaceful transition to civilian rule. On 29 May our Ambassador delivered this message to Yassir Arman of Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) and encouraged all armed movements to return to Sudan and take part in the talks to agree a civilian-led transition and achieve peace. We have condemned the way that the opposition leaders have since been treated by the TMC since they returned.On 4 June in a joint Troika statement, we condemned the recent violent attacks by Sudanese security forces against peaceful protestors in Sudan which left many civilians dead or injured. We also expressed serious concern over TMC's announcement that it would cease negotiations and called for an agreed transfer of power to a civilian-led government. Our Embassy in Khartoum calls on members of the Transitional Military Council both in public and directly the steps that needed to be taken to improve the situation in Sudan, including the release of all political detainees.On 6 June, I summoned the Sudanese Ambassador to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to express our grave concerns at the use of violence against civilians by the Sudanese authorities. The UK has called for the human rights of all Sudanese people to be respected, the resumption of the political process leading to an agreed peaceful transfer of power to a civilian-led government, as demanded by the Sudanese people. We will continue to engage with all sides to support a settlement that works for all Sudanese people.

Loujain al-Hathloul

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what diplomatic steps his Department is taking to help secure the release of Loujain Al-Hathloul in Saudi Arabia.

Dr Andrew Murrison: We are concerned that some women’s rights defenders, including Loujain al-Hathloul, remain in detention. We raise our concerns regularly and freely, using a range of Ministerial and diplomatic channels, including our Ambassador and Embassy team in Riyadh. The Foreign Secretary raised the detention of women’s rights defenders during his visit to Saudi Arabia in March. The UK was signatory to the joint statement on 7 March at the United Nations Human Rights Council which raised significant concerns about reports of continuing arrests and arbitrary detentions of human rights defenders in Saudi Arabia, including women's rights activists. The UK, along with other embassies in Saudi Arabia, requested and were denied access to the trials of women’s rights defenders that took place on 13 and 27 March.

Ethiopia: Indigenous Peoples

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the effect of Ethiopian state developments on indigenous populations in the lower Omo valley.

Harriett Baldwin: ​I am aware of concerns raised about the impacts of development projects on the Omo people in southern Ethiopia. The UK makes regular assessments of the development context in Ethiopia. We are currently funding research which considers the impact of development on income inequality, conflict, and the environment in South Omo. The research is currently being finalised.

Bahrain: Sentencing

Mr David Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what role the Government has played in assisting the Bahraini authorities in (a) developing and (b) implementing new criminal sentencing arrangements.

Dr Andrew Murrison: Bahrain has brought in new legislation related to alternative sentencing and has already started to implement provisions under this new legal framework. We welcome this positive move in reforming the judicial system. UK expertise have supported this process.In a recent statement from the Embassy of Bahrain they confirmed that “To date, 388 men, 52 women, and 11 young offenders have had potential prison time replaced by alternative sentences, and a number of further cases remain under consideration by the judiciary.”This law makes Bahrain the first country in the Middle East to introduce separate alternative sentencing legislation.

Sudan: Human Rights

David Linden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether his Department supports calls for the UN High Commissioner to publicly and regularly report on the human rights situation in Sudan.

Harriett Baldwin: ​The UK's commitment and respect for human rights and accountability, including through the UN Security Council, is steadfast. The UK, through the UN Security Council issued a statement on 13 June that called for the immediate cessation of violence against civilians and emphasised the importance of human rights, protection of civilians, accountability and justice.

Sudan: Demonstrations

David Linden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to prevent human rights violations being committed against peaceful demonstrators in Sudan.

Harriett Baldwin: ​As we made clear alongside Troika partners (US and Norway) on 4 June, we condemn the recent violent attacks by Sudanese security forces against peaceful protestors in Sudan, which left many civilians dead or injured. The Foreign Secretary reiterated this in his statement on 6 June, which also called for the full restoration of the internet and freedom of the media. The UK has called for the human rights of all Sudanese people to be respected and for the resumption of the political process with the protestors and the opposition, and an agreed transfer of power to a civilian-led government, as demanded by the Sudanese people, in a swift, orderly and peaceful manner. On 6 June, I summoned the Sudanese Ambassador to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to express the grave concerns of the United Kingdom at the use of violence against civilians by the Sudanese authorities. Also, the UK, through the UN Security Council issued a statement on 13 June that called for the violence to stop and emphasised the importance of human rights, protection of civilians, accountability and justice.

Sudan: Politics and Government

David Linden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to support the emergence of a democratic, civilian-led government in Sudan.

Harriett Baldwin: Since the removal of Bashir as President and the establishment of a Transitional Military Council the UK has engaged with international counterparts bilaterally and in multilateral fora to shape an international response that supports the demands of the people of Sudan to deliver a swift and inclusive move to civilian rule. The Foreign Secretary spoke with Kenyan Cabinet secretary for Foreign Affairs on 3 May and Saudi Minister of State for Foreign Affairs on 25 April on the importance of international partners' engagement to support a swift transition to civilian rule.The UK has ensured that the situation in Sudan has been discussed at the highest levels, including in the UN Security Council, most recently on 4 June, and in the EU Foreign Affairs Council on 17 June. The UK also continues to promote comprehensive peace negotiations through our role in the Troika. Alongside the US and Norway we engage regularly with the African Union (AU) building on long standing support to the AU's mediation efforts to encourage peace and security in Sudan. The UK welcomes the leadership of the AU in calling for a swift move to civilian rule including the suspension of Sudan from all AU activities on 6 June, to ensure a resumption of dialogue to deliver a swift move to civilian-led government; it is vital that the transition credibly delivers the demands of the people of Sudan.The UK has called for the human rights of all Sudanese people to be respected and for the resumption of the political process with the protestors and the opposition, and an agreed transfer of power to a civilian-led government, as demanded by the Sudanese people, in a swift, orderly and peaceful manner.

Rishikesh Kardile

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what progress has been made on securing the return of Mr Rishikesh Kardile from Spain to his family in the UK.

Sir Alan Duncan: Mr Kardile is the subject of an Indian extradition notice. Mr Kardile’s lawyer is best placed to advise on any legal matters or concerns he or his family have. Consular officials are providing support to Mr Kardile and his family.

Sudan: Demonstrations

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he will take to encourage the Sudanese Transitional Military Council to reopen a dialogue with the protesters in Khartoum.

Harriett Baldwin: On 3 June, the Foreign Secretary condemned the attack on protestors by Sudanese security forces, and held the Transitional Military Council (TMC) fully responsible. We also expressed serious concern over TMC's announcement that it would cease negotiations and called for an agreed transfer of power to a civilian-led government. Our Embassy in Khartoum calls on members of the TMC both in public and directly the steps that needed to be taken to improve the situation in Sudan, including the release of all political detainees.We look to the TMC now to take appropriate steps to provide confidence for protestors and create the conditions necessary for the resumption of dialogue, which includes investigation into the 3 June attack and Freedom of Media and the Internet being switched back on. We have said that the TMC must re-engage in the political process with the protestors and opposition to ensure an agreed transfer of power to a civilian-led authority, as demanded by the Sudanese people, in a swift, orderly and peaceful manner. The UK will continue to engage with all sides to support a settlement that works for all Sudanese people.

Sudan: Armed Forces

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether the Sudanese military rapid support forces receive any funding from the UK.

Harriett Baldwin: ​The UK does not provide any support or funding to the Rapid Support Forces.

Department for International Development

Developing Countries: Poliomyelitis

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, when he is planning for an announcement by the Global Polio Eradication Initiative of a post-2019 date for the complete eradication of polio.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The UK is a long-standing supporter of the polio eradication efforts led by the Global Polio Eradication Initiative. These efforts have been incredibly successful, seeing a 99% reduction in cases of polio over the last 30 years. The Global Polio Eradication Initiative has recently published its new strategic plan for the next phase of eradication activities, until 2023. The strategy does not commit to eradicate Polio by a certain date, as we know that the virus is still circulating in the most difficult environments where it’s extremely hard to reach every last child, such as parts of Afghanistan and Pakistan. There will be a Polio moment in November when international donors are expected to announce ongoing commitment to the global eradication efforts. The UK is currently considering the new strategic plan and will make announcements on Polio in November 2019.

Somalia: Droughts

Liz McInnes: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent assessment he has made of the humanitarian effect of the drought in Somalia; and what steps his Department is taking to support those at risk of starvation.

Harriett Baldwin: The drought in Somalia and subsequent widespread crop failure and decline in livestock productivity has resulted in a projected increase in people experiencing acute food insecurity, from 1.7 million to 2.2 million by August 2019. The UK is a leading donor to the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Somalia and my Department has recently allocated £8 million to support both emergency, life-saving interventions, and longer-term resilience actions focusing on sustainable water supply and the protection of livelihoods. This brings our total humanitarian spend in Somalia in 2019 to £40 million. We continue to actively monitor the situation and are considering what further support might be required.

Department for International Development: Empty Property

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if he will publish the name and location of the land and buildings owned by his Department that is (a) sitting empty and (b) in the process of being sold or disposed of; and if he will make a statement.

Dr Andrew Murrison: DFID has two HQ buildings in the UK, one at 22 Whitehall and the other at Abercrombie House, East Kilbride, Glasgow. Both buildings are fully occupied and form part of the government estate. We have no properties that are (a) sitting empty or (b) in the process of being sold or disposed of.

Developing Countries: Nurses

Dr Dan Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what plans he has to help support nursing provision in low and middle-income countries.

Dr Andrew Murrison: Health workers, including nurses, are essential to build strong health systems and achieve universal health coverage. DFID will support nursing provision through our new health partnerships programme, which includes £5 million of grants to train and upskill nurses and midwives specifically. DFID also assists countries to invest in their health workers to improve health services. For example, we have supported over 7,000 nurses and midwives in Kenya to be trained in emergency obstetric and new-born care which has led to a 10% reduction in maternal deaths.

Department for International Development: Statistics

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, on how many occasions his Department has received representations from the UK Statistics Authority on his Department's presentation and use of statistics in each year since 2010.

Harriett Baldwin: Details on the UK Statistics Authority’s interventions are published in the correspondence[1], publications[2], and issues log[3] sections of their website since 2010. The Authority’s Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR) also carry out regular assessments and systemic reviews, details of which can also be found on the Authority’s website[4]. In September 2018, the Authority published the first annual summary of its interventions for the financial year 2017/18[5]. The report for 2018/19 will be published in the autumn. [1] https://www.statisticsauthority.gov.uk/correspondence-list/[2] https://www.statisticsauthority.gov.uk/publications-list/[3] https://www.statisticsauthority.gov.uk/reports-and-correspondence/issues-log/[4] https://www.statisticsauthority.gov.uk/osr/[5] https://www.statisticsauthority.gov.uk/publication/annual-casework-review-20172018/

Department for International Development: Chief Scientific Advisers

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how many meetings he held with his Department’s Chief Scientific Adviser between 1 March 2019 and 31 May 2019.

Harriett Baldwin: The DFID Chief Scientific Adviser met with the Secretary of State once during this period.The Chief Scientific Adviser continues to provide all Ministers with regular written submissions and briefings on DFID science and research activities.

Department for Education

Classics: Disadvantaged

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to encourage more people from disadvantaged backgrounds to study the Classics.

Nick Gibb: Since September 2014, the reformed national curriculum makes it compulsory for pupils in maintained schools to be taught a modern or classical language in Key Stage 2. The Department introduced the English Baccalaureate (EBacc) performance measure in 2010 where entry into an ancient language GCSE (Latin, Ancient Greek and Biblical Hebrew) counts towards the languages element of the EBacc. Entry into ancient history GCSE counts towards the humanities element.The Department continues to take action to improve teacher supply in classics subjects. Recruitment to classics initial teacher training (ITT) courses is unlimited and trainee teachers of classics will receive a bursary of £26,000 in 2018-19 if they have a 1st, 2:1, 2:2, PhD or Masters.The £4.8 million Modern Foreign Languages Pedagogy Pilot commenced in December 2018. It is managed by the newly appointed Centre for Excellence and is run through nine school-led hubs to improve uptake and attainment in languages at Key Stages 3 and 4. The Department has also launched a pilot project in languages undergraduate mentoring for secondary school pupils to drive participation in the subject, specifically targeting areas of high disadvantage to extend access to languages for all pupils.

Combined Cadet Force

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to encourage the establishment of Combined Cadet Force units in state schools in (a) Havering and (b) England.

Nick Gibb: The Cadet Expansion Programme (CEP) was launched in 2012. It is delivered jointly between the Ministry of Defence and the Department for Education. Following a highly successful first phase of the CEP, which delivered 100 new cadet units in schools in England, the Government committed to a continuation of the programme to grow the total number of cadet units in schools to 500 by March 2020 and extended it across the UK, targeting state funded secondary schools.The programme is nearing its successful completion and is on track to reach the 500 target. School Cadet Expansion Officers are employed in each region to promote the benefits of cadets and assist the schools in their application and preparations to establishing their cadet unit, once approved.In Havering, Drapers Academy successfully established a school cadet unit in September 2013, but there have not been any other successful applications to set up new units in this area.

Combined Cadet Force: Northern Ireland

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to encourage the establishment of combined Cadet force units in state schools in Northern Ireland.

Nick Gibb: The second phase of the Cadet Expansion Programme was open to all the devolved administrations. To date, six schools in Northern Ireland have established a cadet unit or are in the process of doing so.In Northern Ireland, increased engagement in the programme has been a result of active encouragement, support from regional staff, and an understanding in schools of the benefits of the cadet experience for pupils.

Combined Cadet Force: Ethnic Groups

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to encourage children from Black and Minority Ethnic backgrounds to participate in Combined Cadet Force units in states schools.

Nick Gibb: The criteria outlined below is used to target schools for engagement by regional School Cadet Expansion Officers. This includes cities and areas of high deprivation (as measured by the Income Deprivation Affecting Children Index), areas where there is currently limited access to the cadet experience (either schools or community based) compared with the population of 13 to 18 year old children, and areas where Ministry of Defence (MOD) wants to generate interest in careers in the Armed Forces.Since the start of the Cadet Expansion Programme, approximately 50 cadet units have been established in schools considered to have high or moderately high levels of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic pupils.The MOD-sponsored Cadet Forces are inclusive organisations committed to equality of opportunity for young people, recognising diversity within their membership and regarding it as one of their greatest strengths.

Erasmus+ Programme

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the potential (a) social and (b) economic value of the additional grants that are available from the Erasmus+ programme for widening student participation in (i) the current programme and (ii) the 2021-27 programme.

Chris Skidmore: I refer The hon. Member for Dulwich and West Norwood to the answer I gave on 8 May 2019 to Question 252019.Further to this, the government is considering the value for money of the UK's participation in the Erasmus+ programme. This includes a range of monetisable and non-monetisable benefits and costs to ensure we capture all sources of potential economic value and cost. We will also want to consider carefully the impact of any of these options on students from disadvantaged backgrounds and those with disabilities in our assessments.This assessment is ongoing and is part of a wider, cross-government exercise on considering value for money of EU programmes.Ultimately, any decisions about our participation in the Erasmus+ programme will also be a matter for wider negotiations about our future relationship with the EU.

Academies: Private Finance Initiative

Mr Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the current value is of PFI contracts for academy schools that are managed by local authorities; and how much Government funding is allocated to local authorities to undertake that work.

Nick Gibb: After a school undergoes conversion to an academy, it is no longer managed by local authorities. In the majority of cases, local authorities typically charge a fee to the schools and academies within a private finance initiative (PFI) contract in respect of local authority management of the PFI contract. The Department does not hold details on these fees. For further information, please contact the relevant local authority.

Health: Students

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to improve student wellbeing.

Chris Skidmore: Mental health is a priority for this government, which is why we continue to work closely with Universities UK on embedding the Step Change programme within the sector. Step Change calls on higher education leaders to adopt mental health as a strategic priority and adopt a whole-institution approach to mental health, embedding it across all policies, cultures, curricula and practice.In addition, the government actively backs the introduction of a sector-led University Mental Health Charter, launched in June 2018. This will drive up standards in promoting student and staff mental health and wellbeing and it will invite universities to meet high standards of practice, including in areas such as leadership, early intervention and data collection.On 5 June 2019, the Office for Students announced the award of almost £6 million of funding for 10 large-scale projects through a challenge competition, encouraging higher education providers to find new ways of combating student mental health issues. The projects involve over 60 different universities, colleges and other organisations including NHS services, the police and charities, together contributing matched-funding taking the investment up to £14.5 million.   Higher education providers have legal responsibilities under the Equality Act (2010) to support students, including those with mental health conditions. Whilst it is for providers to determine what welfare and counselling services they need to provide to their students to offer that support, the government is proactive in promoting good practice in this area.

Church Commissioners

Church of England

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the right hon. Member for Meriden, representing the Church Commissioners,  which projects the Church of England funded to help transform communities as part of the Thy Kingdom Come events.

Dame Caroline Spelman: Thy Kingdom Come is an ecumenical prayer movement started by the Archbishop of Canterbury in 2017, which has grown into an annual global movement of prayer. It is supported by His Holiness the Pope and in 2018 over 65 different denominations and traditions held events across 114 countries. Major beacon events took place in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. More information can be found here: https://www.thykingdomcome.global/Events take the form of large public gatherings, community prayer walks, meals and picnics in churches or parks. They bring together people from different traditions and denominations across all parts of the local community.In Northern Ireland, both Roman Catholic and Church of Ireland Archbishops of Armagh issued a joint statement to support events taking place in St Anne’s Cathedral Belfast, St Macartin’s Cathedral Enniskillen, and St Mark’s Church Armagh. Their message can be read here: https://www.ireland.anglican.org/news/8866/joint-message-from-archbishop-eamonIn County Londonderry, there were three events which saw churches of different denominations gather for prayer. Those that gathered came together and prayed for their local communities, schools, businesses and community projects, and that the Church be a point of unity and light.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Packaging: Recycling

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what information his Department holds on whether blister packs for medicines are recyclable.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: We do not collect this specific data.

River Thames: Cocaine

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 7 February 2019 to Question 216371 on River Thames: Cocaine, what progress his Department has made on tackling the level of cocaine found in eels in the Thames.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The Environment Agency (EA) does not have a remit to tackle illegal use of drugs but is involved in a number of initiatives which may help reduce their entry into the River Thames. The Thames Tideway Tunnel, which is currently in construction and will be operational by 2023, will significantly reduce the frequency and volume of discharges of storm sewage and improve water quality in the tidal Thames. This will reduce levels of associated chemicals in the tidal river. The EA is working with Thames Water and other water companies to undertake extensive investigations, to assess a wide range of chemicals entering rivers through wastewater treatment works. The investigations have shown that wastewater treatment works significantly reduce the concentrations of many chemicals before they are discharged to rivers. Although cocaine is not part of these investigations, it is likely that it will be similarly affected by wastewater treatment.

Plastics: Seas and Oceans

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to prevent plastic waste from the UK entering the world's oceans.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The UK is making significant progress in addressing the issue of plastic in the oceans, and is taking measures to stop plastic from entering the oceans in the first place. Our ban on microbeads in cosmetic and personal care products, one of the strongest in the world, came into force in June 2018. Our plastic bag charge has led to an 86% reduction in the use of plastic carrier bags and last year alone raised over £51 million for environmental causes. We have consulted on plans to extend the charge to all retailers and on increasing the minimum 5p charge to at least 10p, and last month announced that a ban on the distribution and/or sale of plastic straws, stirrers, and plastic stemmed cotton buds will come into force from April 2020. A full response to this consultation can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/gove-takes-action-to-ban-plastic-straws-stirrers-and-cotton-buds.These policies are helping to deliver the Resources and Waste Strategy for England, our framework for eliminating all avoidable plastic waste. It builds on commitments in our 25 Year Environment Plan and sets out plans to maximise the value we get from resources, minimise waste, promote a circular economy and protect the environment better.Earlier this year we published consultations on a number of key policy measures to significantly change the way that we manage our waste, and in doing so, prevent plastic waste from entering the oceans in the first place: reforming existing packaging waste regulations, exploring the introduction of a deposit return scheme for drinks containers, and increasing consistency in the recycling system, along with a parallel consultation on the plastic packaging tax that the Chancellor announced in the Budget last year. We will publish the Government’s responses to these consultations on GOV.UK in due course.Although 80% of plastic waste comes from land, 20% comes from ocean sources. Abandoned, lost and discarded fishing gear (ALDFG) accounts for 10% of all plastic waste in the ocean and presents acute threats to marine life. Through the forthcoming International Ocean Strategy the UK is committed to spearheading international collaboration to establish a detailed understanding of the ocean, with the aim of significantly reducing the contribution of ALDFG to the problem of marine litter. The UK also signed up to the Global Ghost Gear Initiative in 2016, a pioneering scheme tackling lost and abandoned fishing gear on a global scale. Through this initiative we are committed to working with our partners to address the management of existing ALDFG and the mitigation of potential ALDFG. The Government recognises the benefits and importance of youth outreach and education programmes in tackling this issue. In 2018 a new partnership between the UK Scouts and the Government was set up to help young people better understand the importance of reducing plastic consumption and marine litter. The UK is also working in partnership with UN Environment, collaborating internationally with young people across the Commonwealth to support them in becoming leaders and advocates for behaviour change.We are committed to our international work to lead action on the global threat of marine litter. We continue to actively engage internationally through OSPAR, the G7 and the G20, and the UN. In April 2018, the Prime Minister announced the Commonwealth Clean Oceans Alliance, a ground breaking initiative working with our Commonwealth partners to reduce marine plastic pollution. To help deliver this, we committed an ambitious package of up to £70 million of UK Aid to drive research and innovation.

Circuses: Animal Welfare

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what representations his Department has received on the effect of the Wild Animals in Circuses Bill on human rights.

David Rutley: The Government has examined the compatibility of the provisions in the Wild Animals in Circuses (No.2) Bill with the European Convention on Human Rights, and believes that the Bill’s provisions are compatible with the Convention. The Government has not therefore sought any other views on the Bill’s compatibility with the Convention.

Recycling

Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what are the most recent recycling rates are for (a) the UK, (b) England, (c) Gloucestershire, (d) Tewkesbury Borough Council, (e) Gloucester City Council, and (f) Cheltenham Borough Council.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The official ‘waste from households’ recycling rate for 2017 is 45.7% for the UK and 45.2% for England. The Government does not have published ‘waste from households’ recycling rates for individual local authorities. Instead another metric, ‘households’ recycling, is available, which has a slightly broader scope with some differences in the materials which are counted as recycling. The county council acts as the disposal authority, while the other councils are the collection authority.  ‘Household’ recycling rates for the local authorities in 2017/18Gloucestershire County Council54.2%Tewkesbury Borough Council54.5%Gloucester City Council41.9%Cheltenham Borough Council48.5%

Recycling

Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to increase recycling rates; and if he will make a statement.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The Government is committed to increasing recycling rates. Our consultation on ‘consistency in household and business recycling collections in England’ sought views on how to do this. One of the proposals in the consultation was for all collectors of waste to collect a core set of materials from households and businesses. We believe that if the same core set of materials was collected for recycling there would be less confusion among householders and members of public about what can be recycled. As a result, both the quantity and quality of recycling would increase. We are currently analysing responses to the consultation and will publish the Government’s response to it shortly.

Recycling: Infrastructure

Peter Kyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to support the creation of new recycling infrastructure.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: Through our Resources and Waste Strategy we have set long-term targets to divert more waste from landfill and to drive up recycling. Key ambitions include delivering a 65% municipal waste recycling rate by 2035, a minimum 70% recycling rate for packaging waste by 2030 and implementing a deposit return scheme for drinks containers, subject to consultation. The publication of the Strategy, setting out the long-term policy environment will encourage and support the required investment. Specific measures taken by the Government that are already supporting the creation of new recycling infrastructure include: £4.7m of grant funding, which was announced on 12 June and made available through the Waste and Resources Action Programme, to support new capital infrastructure projects that will help to recycle difficult plastic packaging and textile materials. Further grant opportunities around recycling will follow in due course. The packaging waste producer responsibility scheme, which raised £130 million in 2018 through the purchase by producers of packaging waste recovery and export notes. Just under £82 million of this supported the development of infrastructure. Proposed reforms will support the development of new and improved recycling infrastructure. Investment of £3 billion of grant funding in 24 Private Finance Initiative waste infrastructure projects. These grants support infrastructure including material recovery, mechanical biological treatment and anaerobic digestion facilities, as well as implementation and expanding kerbside recycling services.

Agriculture: Seasonal Workers

Gordon Henderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions he has had with the Home Secretary on ensuring that the seasonal agriculture workers pilot is (a) made permanent and (b) expanded to include 10,000 places this year to meet the needs of the horticulture sector.

Mr Robert Goodwill: We are seeking to evaluate the ability of the Seasonal Workers Pilot to assist in alleviating labour shortages during peak production periods. There are currently no plans to expand the pilot as we will fully assess the pilot before taking any decisions on future arrangements. Defra and the Home Office will be responsible for monitoring and evaluating the Pilot against its stated aims.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Brexit

Sir Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what further steps his Department plans to take to prepare for the UK leaving the EU on 31 October 2019 without a withdrawal agreement.

David Rutley: The Government remains focused on ensuring our smooth and orderly withdrawal from the EU, with a deal, as soon as possible. Leaving without a withdrawal agreement remains the legal default at the end of the extension period, and as a responsible Government we have been preparing to minimise any disruption in the event of no deal for over two years. In light of the agreed extension to the EU departure date, departments are making pragmatic decisions about the timing and pace at which some of this work is progressing. We continue to prepare for all exit scenarios. Defra has been proportionate in putting in place a range of mitigations to minimise any disruption arising from leaving the EU without a deal. This has included creating six new IT systems, ensuring a large number of secondary and primary legislation was passed, and setting up a Business Readiness Directorate to support increased levels of stakeholder engagement. We have also taken extensive steps to provide businesses and citizens with advice and guidance aimed at helping to mitigate the potential impacts of no deal. When necessary we will continue to update our advice on gov.uk on how people should prepare.

Bottles: Recycling

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will publish plans to introduce a bottle return scheme in England and Wales similar to that introduced by the Scottish Government.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The consultation on proposals to introduce a deposit return scheme in England, Wales and Northern Ireland closed on 13 May. Policy officials are currently analysing the responses; the analysis of responses and Government response will be published in due course.

Water Treatment

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions he has had with water companies on (a) the modernisation of water treatment facilities and (b) increasing capacity to limit the amount of untreated sewage entering rivers.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: Over the past 25 years, the water industry has spent over £25 billion on sewage treatment works and sewerage system upgrades driven by environmental directives to improve water quality. This has delivered a 61% reduction in the amount of polluting phosphorus and a 72% reduction in the amount of ammonia discharged from wastewater treatment works since 1995. In addition, 7,000 combined sewer overflows have been improved, reducing the impact of pollution from sewage discharges. In the current investment period (2015-2020) the water companies are investing over £3 billion to improve their sewage treatment and sewerage infrastructure. During the next investment period (2020-2025), plans have been put forward to deliver over £4.5 billion on environmental improvements. These include: (a) Modernisation of around 2,300 wastewater treatment works to meet environmental quality standards such as those required by the Water Framework Directive, Bathing Waters Directive and Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive. (b) Increasing the capacity of around 550 wastewater treatment works and storm tanks to ensure that they are treating the correct amount of sewage flow and to accommodate future growth. (c) Investing in sewerage infrastructure improvement to monitor and reduce the frequency and volume of storm sewage discharged from combined sewer overflows.

Climate Change

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to his Oral Statement of 12 June 2019, Official Report, column 661, what reafforestation programme the Government plans to adopt to reach net zero by 2050; and whether that programme will implement the recommendation of the Committee for Climate Change on planting 30,000 hectares of trees each year.

David Rutley: On 12 June, the UK announced that we will end our contribution to the most serious environmental challenge we face - climate change, by legislating the introduction of a net zero emission target for 2050, following the Committee on Climate Change’s advice. We are one of the first major economies in the world to legislate for a net zero target. Meeting this target will require us to build on the progress already made, by further reducing emissions across all sectors of the economy. Forests are vital in the fight against climate change and we are determined to grow woodland cover. The Government is delivering on a range of afforestation commitments including contributing £5.7M to kick start planting in the Northern Forest, £10 million for trees in towns and cities through the Urban Tree Challenge Fund and £50 million for new woodland through the Woodland Carbon Guarantee. There is now guidance to ensure better recognition of the wider natural capital benefits that trees can provide and we have just reappointed our Tree Champion for a further year to continue to lead engagement on a new England tree strategy, which we will consult on later this year. The Committee for Climate Change’s recent report recognises the work we have done to lay the foundations to build a net zero economy. The Committee’s indicative recommendations on tree planting are ambitious, and we know we need to go further and faster to plant more trees.

Department for Exiting the European Union

Department for Exiting the European Union: Statistics

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, on how many occasions his Department has received representations from the UK Statistics Authority on his Department's presentation and use of statistics in each year since 2010.

Kwasi Kwarteng: Details on the UK Statistics Authority’s interventions are published in the correspondence, publications, and issues log sections of their website since 2010.The Authority’s Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR) also carry out regular assessments and systemic reviews, details of which can also be found on the Authority’s website.In September 2018, the Authority published the first annual summary of its interventions for the financial year 2017/18. The report for 2018/19 will be published in the autumn.

Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority

Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority: Location

John Spellar: To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, for what reason the Authority did not consider locations for its offices outside London and the South-East.

Mr Charles Walker: The Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority: Offices

John Spellar: To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority,  pursuant to the Answer of 5 June 2019 to Question 257645 on Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority: Buildings, which organisation's commercial interests would be prejudiced; and in what manner by disclosing the size of IPSA's office and the rate paid per metre.

Mr Charles Walker: The Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Members: Allowances

Sir Christopher Chope: To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, if he will make an assessment of the effectiveness of the system for reimbursing MPs expenses; and if IPSA will make it its policy to reinstate the previous system for the reimbursement of expenses.

Mr Charles Walker: The Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Members: Email

Sir Christopher Chope: To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, what estimate he has made of the number of emails from hon. Members sent to IPSA in June 2019 that have not received a response within three days; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Charles Walker: The Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority: Working Hours

Sir Christopher Chope: To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, what steps he is taking to help ensure that IPSA has sufficient resources to extend its working hours so that (a) telephone calls can be answered during the hours the House sits and (b) responses can be given to emails from MPs within three to five working days.

Mr Charles Walker: The Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Ministry of Justice

Prisoners: Suicide

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what data his Department holds on the rate of self-inflcted deaths among (a) people serving sentences under imprisonment for public protection and (b) the prison population.

Robert Buckland: The Government publishes quarterly statistics on self-inflicted deaths in prison, and a more detailed annual breakdown, which is available at:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/safety-in-custody-quarterly-update-to-september-2018 Table 1.1 of the document ‘Deaths in prison custody 1978-2018’ shows the rate of self-inflicted deaths for the prison population in each calendar year. In 2018 the rate was 1.12 per 1000 prisoners. Table 1.11 of the same document shows the number of self-inflicted deaths among those serving sentences of imprisonment for public protection in each calendar year. In 2018 there were 5 such deaths. This was at a rate of 1.38 per 1,000 IPP prisoners. Figures such as this for rates should be considered with caution when derived from relatively small numbers of events. The Government is taking unprecedented action to improve safety in prisons, including redoubling our efforts to prevent self-inflicted deaths. We have recruited over 4,700 more prison officers since October 2016, and we now have the greatest number in post since early 2012. This is allowing us to implement the key worker role, allowing staff dedicated time to provide support to individual prisoners. We are improving support for prisoners in their early days in custody and working to improve the multi-disciplinary ACCT case management process for those at risk of suicide or self-harm.We have rolled out a revised and improved Introduction to Suicide and Self-harm Prevention course. This is being completed by all new staff and as refresher training by all existing staff. Nearly 25,000 staff have already begun this training and over 14,000 have completed all six modules.

Prisons: Contracts

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 15 May 2019 to Question 251411 on Prisons: Contracts, through what management information requirements is information on staffing levels submitted.

Robert Buckland: Controllers at each privately-managed prison hold regular review meetings with the contractor against a range of performance indicators that will reflect staffing, recruitment, training, sickness, and attrition and any concerns are discussed at these meetings. Where action is needed, progress is monitored by the relevant Controller and escalated within HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) where appropriate action can be taken in accordance with the contract. There is no requirement in the contracts to agree staffing levels with the Ministry of Justice. Private providers continue to play an important role in the prison estate and I can assure you that performance of all providers is closely monitored and we will not hesitate to take action where standards fall short.

Offences Against Children: Internet

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many UK nationals have been convicted of offences relating to the online sexual exploitation of children in each of the last five years.

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of sentences for people convicted of offences relating to the online sexual exploitation of children; and if he will make a statement.

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average length of sentence (a) awarded and (b) served has been for individuals found guilty of the online sexual exploitation of children in each of the last five years.

Robert Buckland: We have interpreted ‘sexual exploitation of children’ as child sexual abuse offences, as sexual exploitation of children is not specifically defined in legislation. The Ministry of Justice has published information (https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/804510/HO-code-tool-principal-offence-2018.xlsx) on the number of defendants found guilty of child sexual abuse offences and average custodial sentence lengths, however it is not possible to identify the nationality of the defendant as this information is not held in the courts proceedings database. Additionally, centrally held court and prisons data does not distinguish online child sexual abuse offences from all child sexual abuse offences. Information on offences that involve online sexual exploitation of children may be held on record, however to identify these records would be at a disproportionate cost. I have made no assessment of sentencing for offences relating to the online sexual exploitation of children. Sentencing in individual cases is a matter for the Courts, who must follow any relevant guidelines produced by the Sentencing Council for England and Wales. The Sentencing Council has a duty under section 128 of the Coroners and Justice Act 2009 to monitor the operation and effect of its guidelines. Child sexual abuse is abhorrent and rightly carries tough sentences including life imprisonment for the most serious offences. The Sexual Offences Act 2003 provides a range of offences with robust sentences to tackle the scourge of child sexual exploitation in all its forms. Sentencing is a matter for the independent judiciary, who take into account the full facts of each case.

Family Courts

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many (a) public and (b) private law cases were referred to the Family Courts in each of the last five years.

Paul Maynard: Statistics for the number of public and private Law case applications referred to the family courts in the each of the last five years is published in the Family Court Statistics Quarterly, and is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/family-court-statistics-quarterly-october-to-december-2018

Family Courts

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many private law cases were referred to the Family Courts in which (a) both, (b) one and (c) neither parent or carer were represented by a solicitor in each of the last five years.

Paul Maynard: The number of unrepresented parties in private law Children Act case starts are shown in the table below: Table 1: Annual number of private law cases starting in Family Courts in England and Wales from 2014 to 2018 in which both, one or neither party had legal representationYearTotal number of cases startedParties with legal representation  Both applicant and respondentEither applicant or respondentNeither applicant nor respondent2014 42,114 7,42418,63016,0602015 43,347 7,65418,50017,1932016 48,246 8,26220,04819,9362017 50,652 8,30320,49721,8522018 51,672 8,56120,34622,765Notes:1) An applicant party is considered 'represented' if at least one applicant has a recorded representative. Likewise for respondents.2) Parties in private law cases are usually the parents or people with parental responsibility for the child/children involved. Others, including grandparents and carers, can apply after gaining permission from the court.3) Private law adoptions are not includedSince 2015, we have invested almost £6.5million in a support strategy for unrepresented parties. This provides practical support and information as well as routes to free or more affordable legal advice. Public funding remains available for parents in public law Children Act proceedings where a local authority seeks an order to place a child in care or under its supervision, and in private law Children Act cases where there is evidence of domestic or child abuse.

Berwyn Prison

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what plans his Department has to ensure that the capacity at HMP Berwyn is fully utilised.

Robert Buckland: We are increasing the population at Berwyn at a measured rate that ensures the safety of prisoners and staff. As with any new prison, there has been a deliberate phased population increase at Berwyn since opening. Berwyn is already operating as a large prison so we are regularly reviewing plans to ensure its increase in population is done safely whilst maintaining good order and control.

Berwyn Prison

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what criteria his Department applies when deciding which prisoners are located at HMP Berwyn; and what assessment his  Department has made of the adequacy of that criteria.

Robert Buckland: HMP Berwyn is a Category C training and resettlement prison and when fully rolled out it will also have a reception and remand function for prisoners from mid Wales, North Wales and the North West of England. In doing so it will meet the needs of the courts and the prison population for Mid and North Wales and enable men to be closer to home geographically. Berwyn will also serve as a training prison for men from across England and Wales.

Berwyn Prison

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the suitability of prisoners located at HMP Berwyn.

Robert Buckland: HMP Berwyn currently holds convicted, category C male prisoners. The men located at the prison are assessed in terms of their risk of escape and risk to the public, and as with any other category C prison. HMP Berwyn holds offenders from Mid to North Wales and North-West England that fall under these criteria.

Berwyn Prison

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what discussions he has had with the Welsh Government on the (a) suitability of prisoners located at HMP Berwyn, (b) prospect of moving additional prisoners to HMP Berwyn to fill its capacity and (c) criteria for deciding which prisoners are located at HMP Berwyn.

Robert Buckland: The Welsh Government was one of many parties on the Programme Board which approved the business case for HMP Berwyn with HM Treasury. This was both during the phase of creating the plans and during mobilisation of the prison. Discussions in these meetings included the nature of the population of Berwyn. HMP Berwyn is a Category C prison with Reception, Training and Resettlement functions serving Wales, North Wales and the North West of England. There are plans to introduce a Remand function in 2019/20. HMP Berwyn meets the needs of the courts and the prison population for Mid and North Wales, and the North West of England to enable men to be geographically close to home. There are no plans to change the category of HMP Berwyn. HMPPS Wales regularly meets the Welsh Government to discuss a range of justice issues, including the performance and operations of all Welsh prisons.

Prison Service: Crimes of Violence

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many serious assaults there have been on staff in HM prisons in the last five years for which information is available.

Robert Buckland: The Government publishes quarterly statistics on violence in prison, and a more detailed annual breakdown, and both are available at:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/safety-in-custody-quarterly-update-to-december-2018. The relevant link is ‘Assaults in prison custody 2000 to 2018’ and the information can be found in table 3.1: Prison assaults summary statistics by calendar year, England and Wales, 2000-2018. The Government is taking unprecedented action to improve safety in prisons. We have recruited over 4,700 more prison officers since October 2016, and we now have the greatest number in post since early 2012. The Challenge, Support and Intervention Plan case management process for prisoners at risk of violence has been mandated for all prisons to help staff to manage violent prisoners and those identified as posing a raised risk of being violent.We are investing an extra £70 million to improve safety, security and decency, and equipping officers with PAVA incapacitant spray and body-worn cameras to help prevent serious harm to staff and prisoners when dealing with violent incidents. We are improving perimeter security and introducing new x-ray scanners, drug-detection dogs and dedicated search teams to address the supply of drugs that we know are fuelling much of the violence in custody. We are confident that these initiatives, together with the many other measures that we are taking to protect our staff, will reduce the level of violence in prisons.

Ministry of Justice: Publications

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will publish a list all reports commissioned by the Department since 2010.

Edward Argar: The Ministry of Justice has no plans to publish a list of reports commissioned by the Department since 2010. The Ministry of Justice maintains a central record of the social research that has been commissioned by the Data and Analytical Services Directorate. However, records of social research which is independently commissioned by agencies and ALBs of the Ministry of Justice are not centrally maintained.  Copies of MoJ’s published Government Social Research reports can be accessed via the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications Details of the types of research undertaken by the different parts of MoJ can be downloaded here https://www.gov.uk/guidance/research-within-mojs-agencies-and-arms-length-bodiesThis document sets out the high-level areas of research interest for MOJ with the aim of supporting ongoing and new engagement with the external research community.https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ministry-of-justice-areas-of-research-interest

Probate Service: Digital Technology

Simon Hart: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice,  what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the digitisation of the Probate Service.

Paul Maynard: The 2018 amendments to the non-contentious probate rules enabled personal applications to be submitted online. This service is assessed through a range of measures, such as user feedback and user satisfaction. Of 4,995 responses from users who submitted their application online 93% indicated, from five feedback options, that they were satisfied or very satisfied with the online application service provided. The online system is being continually improved and developed as a result of the feedback provided.

Probate: Internet

Simon Hart: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment has been made of the level of delays in the granting of probate as a consequence of the transition to the new online probate system.

Paul Maynard: Urgent action has been taken to address the delays which have been experienced in the probate service. Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service is increasing staffing levels and further improving the digital service to help reduce waiting times.

Probate Service: Digital Technology

Simon Hart: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when the new digital probate system will be fully functional.

Paul Maynard: The new digital case management system is fully functional and the online service for personal applicants to apply for probate, where the deceased has left a Will, has been publicly available since July 2018. Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service plans to have online services available in probate for all user groups and types of probate applications by the end of Autumn 2019.

Drugs: Smuggling

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Justice, how many people have been convicted of trying to smuggle drugs into the UK in each of the last two years.

Paul Maynard: The Ministry of Justice has published information regarding convictions for unlawful importation of drugs offences in England and Wales which be found at the following link – https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/802314/outcomes-by-offence-tool-2018.xlsx In the ‘Offence’ field, filter by - ‘92A.01 Unlawful importation - Class A’‘92A.02 Unlawful importation - Class B’‘92A.03 Unlawful importation - Class C’‘92A.04 Unlawful importation - unknown class’  to obtain these figures. The total number of defendants convicted for the unlawful importation of drugs across the 2008-2018 decade will appear in row 25 of the pivot table.

Prisoners' Release: Children

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 6 June 2019 to Question 259337 on Prisoners' Release: Children, what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of calculating how many children were released from prison into homelessness in each year between 2010 and 2018.

Edward Argar: There would be a need to check the c.20,300 individual records of children released since 2010 to obtain their accommodation status. We estimate that it would take around five minutes to check each record, which equates to a cost of approximately £42,000. This does not include the time required to engage with Local Authorities where necessary.

Guardianship (Missing Persons) Act 2017

Kevin Hollinrake: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when he plans to bring into force the provisions of the Guardianship (Missing Persons) Act 2017.

Paul Maynard: The Guardianship (Missing Persons) Act 2017 will be implemented in July, and applications to the court for guardianship orders will be able to commence from that date.

Television: Licensing

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people have received a custodial sentence for failure to pay the television license fee in the last five years.

Robert Buckland: Failure to pay television licence fees is not an imprisonable offence. However, courts have power to commit to prison for failure to pay criminal fines, which can be imposed for non-payment of television licence fees.The number of committals to prison imposed in the last five years for failure to pay fines imposed for non-payment of the BBC licence fee can be viewed in the table.



Table
(Excel SpreadSheet, 8.94 KB)

Approved Premises

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will make it his policy not to privatise Approved Premises.

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the potential risk to local communities of the highest risk offenders being housed in the private sector.

Robert Buckland: Approved Premises are accommodation approved under section 13 of the Offender Management Act 2007 for the supervision and rehabilitation of persons convicted of offences, or the supervision of persons granted bail in criminal proceedings. Their chief function is to accommodate high-risk offenders on release from custody. All Approved Premises are funded by the Ministry of Justice. Most are managed by the National Probation Service, and the remainder by independent charitable trusts. We have no plans to change these arrangements.

CAFCASS

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate his Department has made on the number of cases undertaken by Cafcass in each year from 2010.

Paul Maynard: The number of cases undertaken by Cafcass in each year from 2010 is as follows: 2009-1056, 5022010-1155, 5382011-1254, 8522012-1359, 2262013-1460, 6292014-1548, 8982015-1654, 2262016-1759, 2862017-1860, 9042018-1962, 347

Drugs: Rehabilitation

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many Drug Rehabilitation Requirements have been (a) commenced and (b) completed in each year since 2010.

Edward Argar: Information on commencements is published in table A4.8 of the document entitled “Probation: 2018” in the Offender Management Statistics Quarterly for October-December 2018. It can be accessed at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/offender-management-statistics-quarterly-october-to-december-2018 Data on completions are available for the years 2013 onwards and are shown in the table below: Drug Rehabilitation Requirement (DRR) Completions, 2013-18201320142015201620172018 716073336619567147513897 The purpose of the drug rehabilitation requirement is to reduce or eliminate illicit drug use and associated offending. Offenders are required to attend appointments with the treatment provider and to submit to regular drug testing. They are also required to attend appointments with, or arranged by, their offender manager.

Prisoners' Release: Females

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many women have been released on temporary licence in each year since 2010.

Edward Argar: Data on temporary release by gender is published annually in the Prison Releases tables of the offender management statistics. The available data covers the years 2011 to 2018:  2010*201120122013201420152015**201620172018Females  released on temporary licence -828875819731613613621650643(*) A new prison database system was introduced mid 2009 (P-NOMIS). The migration of data from the old system (LIDS) to P-NOMIS affected the supply of data for statistical purposes from July 2009 to February 2010. Data for 2009 is taken from Offender Management Caseload Statistics 2009, in which volumes for 2009 were estimated using data from the first half of the year and rounded to the nearest 100. Data for 2010 is unavailable.(**) Due to improvements in IT systems, the 2015 prison admissions data is now taken from a different source and, for statistical reporting purposes only, are produced using a different method. The 2015 figures from both the old and new systems have been presented to aid comparison. By providing opportunities to work, learn and build family ties, temporary release from prison helps ensure offenders do not return to crime when they leave prison. We published a new ROTL policy framework on 28 May, following consultation with practitioners and key stakeholders, such as employers. Governors can now consider ROTL earlier and in more cases, and prisoners can enter the workplace sooner.

Courts and Probation: ICT

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 11 March 2019 to Question 227393, whether the review into the causes of the probation and courts IT systems failure in January 2019 has been completed; and if he will publish that report.

Robert Buckland: The independent review commissioned by the Permanent Secretary was finalised in May. To protect the department’s security and commercial interests we will not be publishing this report. I can confirm that the report found that three separate and unrelated issues occurred at the same time, creating significant business impact. Steps have already been taken to learn lessons from these incidents. We are working closely with our suppliers to make sure that diligent care is taken of the department's infrastructure, accompanied by a more robust internal capability to control and manage our vital services. An updated business continuity plan for the department will be completed this month; that plan will include specific scenarios around significant IT failure covering one or more of our agencies. We are also reviewing the monitoring applied to the core networking infrastructure to provide us with earlier sight of any future problems. There was no evidence of any foul play, and no data was lost during the incident.

Prisons: Private Sector

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what records his Department holds on the staff to prisoner ratio in privately operated prisons.

Robert Buckland: As we have previously stated all staffing matters, including the responsibility for ensuring the availability of sufficiently trained and experienced staff to maintain safe and decent prisons, lies with Contractors. There is no requirement in the contracts to agree staffing levels with the Ministry of Justice. Private providers continue to play an important role in the prison estate and I can assure you that performance of all providers is closely monitored and we will not hesitate to take action where standards fall short. Prison population statistics are regularly published and can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/prison-population-figures-2018 The table below displays the most recent figures that the Ministry of Justice has for the number of funded posts for Prison Custody Officers at each privately managed prison and the dates that these relate to.AltcourseAshfieldBirminghamBronzefieldDoncasterDovegateForest Bank287.1276.2302157218.526026701/06/1931/05/1901/03/1901/05/1931/05/1931/05/1901/05/19Lowdham GrangeNorthumberlandOakwoodParcPeterboroughRye HillThameside228.2234.5284306320.414621731/05/1901/05/1901/05/1901/05/1901/04/1901/05/1931/05/19

Young Offenders: Children in Care

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 20 May 2019 to Question 254239, what estimate he has made of the cost of identifying how many children in custody are looked after children.

Edward Argar: To obtain the requested information, there would be a need to examine separate information technology systems to establish and validate records of all children currently in custody (c.880). With a conservative average estimate of around ten minutes to check each record, this equates to a cost of approximately £3,600.

Cabinet Office

Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency: Post Offices

Marion Fellows: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if his Department will extend the DVLA core counter service framework with Post Office Ltd to November 2022.

Oliver Dowden: The DVLA contract was novated to the Crown Commercial Service (CCS) in December 2018 and the current contract expires in March 2020. CCS is currently engaging with stakeholders to ascertain whether the uptake of the extension option is the best commercial decision for Government. The final decision will be taken later this year.

Contracts: Public Sector

Jo Stevens: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate his Department has made of the number of contractors across the public sector who do not recognise an independent trade union.

Oliver Dowden: The Cabinet Office does not hold this information centrally.

Government Departments: Procurement

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether his Department has undertaken an assessment of the potential merits of adopting life-cycle costing in direct government procurement.

Oliver Dowden: I refer the Honourable Member to my answer given to Question 259078 on 3 June.

House of Commons Commission

Parliament: Veganism and Vegetarianism

Dr David Drew: To ask the right hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington, representing the House of Commons Commission, what plans the Commission has to (a) increase choice in parliamentary catering for vegetarians and vegans and (b) set prices that reflect the true cost of producing food.

Tom Brake: Catering services have increased the number of vegetarian and vegan options across all menus over the past year and there are plans for the range to continue to grow this year. Catering services will continue to support National Vegetarian week and Vegan Month. Some chefs have also attended a two day training course looking at new ideas in plant-based foods to enhance the menus, with further development opportunities planned.Catering prices are reviewed on an annual basis and amended to reflect one year’s change in the food price index (a subset of the consumer price index) and applied as a standard percentage increase across the whole product range. New prices come into effect in April, at the beginning of each new financial year.The Finance Committee sets the overall budget direction and targets, and the Administration Committee confirms that the pricing percentages work within the overall budget direction and target once they have been presented to them on an annual basis. The House of Commons Commission is asked for a final decision if agreement cannot be reached with both Committees.The catering budget set for 2019/20 for food gross profit is to achieve a 62% gross profit margin. This food gross profit covers the cost of food production across all venues on the estate.Any prices which need to adjust mid-year due to significant market supplier increases (a previous example being the increase in the price of salmon by 40% in 2016/17) will be reported back to Committees separately.